


Poe and Prejudice

by necrofancy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Comfort Sex, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gratuitous Smut, Nightmares, Oral Sex, PTSD, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, Wall Sex, clumsy poe, he's not always a dapper renegade, i'll put that rating to work, i'm not saying there's going to be library sex but, probably library sex, spoilers probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-15 22:26:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 73,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5802466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/necrofancy/pseuds/necrofancy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elan Caledon, headstrong and determined, was born on Denon to wealthy diplomat parents. They wanted her to train as a politician in their path, but Elan was quick to join up with the Resistance in an rash attempt at independence and selflessness. She secured a job on D’Qar as an archivist documenting the war efforts, something especially needed after the destruction of Starkiller Base. Who better to set her straight on all the details other than one of the pilots, the self-proclaimed best pilot in the Resistance, who was responsible for the mission’s success? That is, if she doesn’t kill him herself first…</p><p>***This was originally intended as a Poe x Reader fic, but I could not get the structure right B(  plus there are way too many good ones out there and I'm intimidated. But I hope you like Elan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which our hero almost gets strangled by a short-tempered archivist…

**Author's Note:**

> So I haven't written a actual fanfic in YEARS. I hope its not obvious. (The last ones where posted to FanFiction.net if that tells you anything... ) Constructive criticism is VERY welcome and I'm also terrified. please be gentle I bruise easy. *gifs inspired by the story can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/WY3C1

Elan awoke to the rhythmic beeping of the clock beside her bed. Rubbing her eyes, she sighed as she sat up, brushing the scratchy canvas covers off her legs. Definitely not as luxurious as her bedding back on Denon, but it was better than the tent in the woods her parents had lead her to believe she'd be occupying. Before the next beep sent her careening off the edge of madness, Elan slammed her hand on the device to cease the infernal noise. Willing herself to stand up, she stretched her arms above her head, letting another sigh escape her lips. The last thing she want to do is spend another day sorting through crumbling manuscripts and attempting to decipher her mentor’s notes. Hey, at least she'd become accustomed to the smell of dust and cleaning fluid in the last week. Elan lackadaisically threw the sheets in place on her bed and stuffed her feet in her boots. Her parents had insured her a dorm to herself as well as employment when she arrived at the base, much to her chagrin, but it was a welcome opportunity as new chances to be useful were proving to be few and far between. It was the closest she'd ever come to a compromise with them, anyhow. Although the general consensus was that anyone who worked in archives must have the personality of a womp rat, Elan considered herself to be fairly extroverted when the chips were down. Before her time working on D’Qar, she worked as a legal apprentice in order to follow in her father’s stead as a diplomat. One could have no shortage of social skills when your job is quite literally based on people. She slung her pack over her shoulder and traipsed out the door towards her office.

Passing the cantina on the way to her workroom was never a dull experience. Today’s entertainment was provided by a group of soldiers loudly singing a garish tune about a Twi’lek slave girl providing specific, ahem, services to willing participants. Elan couldn't help but smile to herself; it’s not every day she got to see these young men and women celebrating a victory. She fixed herself a cup of sapir tea and grabbed a hunk of sweetmelon for later. Balancing the fruit atop her cup while wiggling her way through the door, she crinkled her nose at the heap of papers sprawled across her desk. Among the documents to sort through where blueprints, severely damaged and barely functioning holobooks, some of which seemed beyond help. She had been collecting information in giant logbooks written by hand as to not be in the way of the researchers paving the way for further Resistance missions. On the top of the precariously stacked pile was a note from her boss, a haggard man who spent much more time weaseling his way behind the scenes with the General than he did actually working.

Today, again he casually away from desk duty, leaving a trail of papers for her to finish processing in his stead. She dropped her belongings in the chair opposite her and snatched up the note. It simply read: _Interview with Dameron- morning._ Elan scoffed. Just days before she’d interviewed Snap Wexley, a charming pilot who could not have been a more pleasant interviewee, as well as Miss Jessika Pava, who had promised she’d take her up in the air sometime to get a real feel for the experience. She had heard tales of the bravado and brash nature of the pilot and had encountered enough of that on Denon to last her a millennia. The last thing she wanted to do was spend her morning with a man, who probably thought himself a gift to the skies, talk about how the mission wouldn’t have succeeded without him. Shoving a piece of the sweetmelon in her mouth, she leaned back in her chair as she fingered through her previous interview notes. The questions seemed so insipid that it felt like a waste to pull the fighters off their respective responsibilities. _“Duty takes many forms”_ , her mentor would state on the rare occasions when they occupied the same space.

A knock of the door broke her wavering concentration. A head full of dark curls and a coy smile came into view.  
  
“Uh, hi, I’m Poe. Dameron. I’m here for an interview?”

  
“Oh, um, right. Hang on.” She scurried to clear a space for him in the chair across from her. “Sorry about the mess. I’m Elan Caledon.” He stuck out his hand to give hers a hefty shake. “Have a seat, Mr. Dameron.”

  
“Oh geez, it’s not going to be that kind of interview is it?” He asked, plopping down in the vacant chair. “I’m sweating already. It’s just Poe.”

  
“Alright, Poe,” she humored him. “I’ve spoken with two of your fellow pilots-”

  
“Yeah, Snap mentioned that. Good guy, Snap.” He smacked his palm against his knee, his foot bouncing up and down. Was this a hint of nervousness she was seeing?

  
“They’ve given me quite a few details of the mission already. So I was thinking if there wasn’t anything formal you’d like to add-”

  
“I’m free to go?” He quipped with a grin.

  
Elan shook her head. “Sorry, Mr Damer- Poe. It’ll be my head if I don’t get something out of you.”

  
“Well, we can’t have that. Alright then, Miss Caledon. I’m all yours.”

She turned to a clean page in her notebook. The first thing she wrote was “cocky”, and underlined it twice. He propped his foot up on the desk in front of him. Elan opened her mouth to immediately protest, obviously engine grease is not exactly the best thing to have around delicate materials, but before she could say a word, his boot tapped her cup of tea, sending the liquid cascading against her notes and an already damaged holobook.

  
“Shit!” Poe sprang to his feet. “Oh man, I am so sorry.” He scrambled to wipe away as much as he could as Elan tried in vain to shake the liquid off the screen but its blue light fizzled and went out almost immediately. How can something survive a siege but can’t handle a little sprinkle of tea? Elan let out an exasperated sound.

  
“I can fix this,” Poe exclaimed as he tried in vain to use his sleeve to carefully mop up the liquid around her notes although she could already see that her weeks’ worth of work would have to be redone. She let out an exasperated moan. Poe glanced at her sheepishly.

  
“I, um. Shit.” He wiped his hands against his flight suit. “I am so sorry,” he repeated. Elan could already tell her boss was going to kill her. Maybe she could avoid confrontation if she killed Dameron herself and blamed it on a rogue Wookiee.

  
“It’s fine,” she replied flatly. She propped her hands on her hips, easily imagining her desk as a warzone. At this point, it may as well have been. She ran her fingers through her hair, scratching her scalp in frustration. Even Poe could see their efforts were in vain and the dissolution of her work laid before them both. She could feel his eyes on her. She was afraid if she looked up at him, she’d want to throttle those dopey brown eyes out of his head.

  
“Should I, uh…” He pointed his thumb behind him in the direction of the door.

  
“Yes.”

  
“I’m sorry again about the-” he ushered to the desk, now accented with audible sounds of tea dripping onto the floor.

He slipped out quickly and quietly, leaving Elan with the aftermath of destruction. She cursed under her breath. _Great start_ , she thought to herself. She tossed her notebook in the bin along with the wet cloths that had soaked up the leftover carnage. This was week two of the job, a mere six days after the destruction of Starkiller Base, and the only time she’d spent away from her home planet and her parents in all her twenty-four years. This was not the way she’d intended it to go. With her previous two interviews fresh in her mind, she set to work getting down as many details as she could remember.

After a few hours, a friendly face poked her head in: Raissa Lara, the first person Elan met when she arrived on D’Qar. The two had become fast friends and she was a welcome distraction from the mountain of work to conquer.

  
“Geez, what happened here?” Raissa quipped.

  
“Poe Dameron happened.”

  
“Damn, he works fast doesn’t he? No time for romance, just sweep everything off the desk and get down to it.” She elbowed Elan slightly and handed her an oversized pastry she’d swiped before her visit.

  
“Ha. Ha.”


	2. In which our hero gets a second chance.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elan gives Poe another shot after chatting with Snap and learns a little more about Mr. Dameron in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm resisting the urge to write the good stuff first, but transition is important, I suppose.

Raissa convinced Elan to cut out of the office for an early lunch due to “unforeseen trauma”. Elan obliged without much of fight. The cantina had quieted down exponentially from this morning with just a dozen or so people sprinkled throughout the hall. The girls chose a spot close to the exit in case Elan spotted her supervisor and had to make a quick exit. Raissa regaled her with tales from the command center where she was working as a technician in charge of the pilot communicators over lunch, often finding humor in the most mundane situations. Elan respected that about her.

“We can hear everything down there. I mean _everything_. Even with recon missions that aren’t necessarily detrimental to the cause, those comms are always running.” Raissa downed her drink. “I’ll let you know if your name comes up.”

 Elan chuckled. “Please do. I’m sure I’m a hot commodity.”

 “Hey, not everyone came from wealth around here, E. It’s nice to see things from the other side at times.”

 Elan eyed her friend; Tall, slender; a wealth of dark, tight ringlets framing her mocha complexion.  She was slight in comparison and almost a foot shorter. Her own flaxen hair hadn’t seen a good brushing since her time on D’Qar. Having regular up-dos had been almost mandatory since she was seventeen. Elan lifted her head as she heard her name called from across the hall.

 “Hey, Elan!”

 It was Snap Wexley. He waved as he spanned the room, joining them at their table. His cheerful smile was a welcome surprise.

 “Hey, what'd you do to Poe? I passed him in the hall after your interview and he had a thousand-yard stare going on. Re-open some old wounds?” 

Elan scoffed.

“More like he opened some new ones of mine. He knocked over my tea all over my desk. And work.”

Snap winced.

“Yeah, there’s a reason he’s usually with just his BB unit,” Snap laughed heartily. "Poor guy." Raissa offered a sympathetic smile. She knew how much Elan’s work meant to her.

“And I though his ego was enough for the both of them,” she retorted.

Snap smiled in response, but it was short-lived.

“That’s not him all the time, y’know. Poe’s a decent guy. He’s good at what he does. And a good leader.”

 Elan shrugged. “I guess we just didn’t get off on the right foot.”

 Raissa nudged her. “Give him a chance, E. You know he’s the reason we’re still breathing.”

Snap cleared his throat.

 “ _One_ of the reasons,” Elan corrected.

 

\----

 

After a break filled with some much needed laughs, Elan trudged back to her office. To her surprise, there was a brown paper wrapped parcel waiting her for on her desk. Letting out a curious hum, she scooped it up and unwrapped it. Inside, there was a yellow notebook that looked like the ones the soldiers would often have shoved in the pockets of their flight suits. She flipped through it with a smirk and noticed there was something scrawled in the inside cover.

_This is a military-issue field notebook. It’s waterproof. Sorry again. –PD_

Even she had to admit it was a charming gesture. As if on cue, there was a timid knock on the door.

“Mr. Dameron.”

“Miss Caledon,” the pilot responded demurely as he stepped inside the room.

 “Thank you for this.” She lifted up the logbook. “You didn’t have to.”

“Hey, I like to own up to my mistakes.” He stepped into the workroom. “Should we try for round two? I promise to keep my feet firmly on the ground.” 

“I’m actually about to head back to my dorm for the evening.”

 Poe’s gaze dropped to the floor. She knew shouldn’t feel guilty for honesty, but somehow she still did.

“This is waterproof, huh?” She held up the book. Poe nodded.

“I guess you could call it Poe-proof,” he responded with a grin, rubbed the back of his neck with his fingers. 

Elan eyed the calendar on her desk.

“How about tomorrow morning, then? An exclusive?”

He held out his hand. “You’ve got yourself a deal. I promise not to disappoint. I have a lot to make up for. I really am sorry for-”

 “You can stop apologizing, now.” She shook his hand. His fingers encased hers effortlessly. 

“Sorry- uh, okay, fine, I’m _not_ sorry. But it really was an accident. So I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

“Sure.”

He beamed at her, a hopeful, gentle smile. She returned it autonomously.

Upon his exit, Elan sat back against her seat, her smile still toying at her lips. Upon realizing this, she quickly shook her head. She would not succumb to the pilot’s charms. She knew all too well of his conquests, on and off the battlefield. She refused to become another notch in his bedpost.

 

 ---

After a good night’s sleep, Elan made her way to her office yet again, this time clearing off all her papers and holobooks, just to be safe. She wasn’t sure just what time he’d be arriving, but she thought she’d make the office presentable just in case. She had received a comm message already that her mentor had been sent away to retrieve sensitive documents deemed necessary to the Resistance from the General, (Elan assumed this was the only way General Organa could get him out from under her skin) so it would just be the two of them.

“The plucky young journalist still looking for a scoop?”

Elen looked up to see Raissa miming a notebook and pencil.

“I’ve got a rematch with Poe this morning. You’ll have to be a gossip monger another time,” she laughed.

“Gossip? Me? I never.” Raissa mocked being offended in a dramatic gesture.

“Excuse me.” A hand reached out to Raissa’s shoulder, edging around her. “I’m I too early? I can come back,” Poe inquired as he stepped inside. He had the top have of his flight suit unbuttoned and secured around his waist, exposing a cream colored thermal shirt beneath, speckled with black oil stains.

“Not at all, I was just leaving.” Raissa cocked at eyebrow at Elan. “Catch you at the cantina, E.”

Poe sat down gently in the empty seat. “Friends of yours?”

“Yes. Not all archivists are completely hopeless when it comes to social situations.”

Poe held up his hands. “I meant no offense. I haven’t met too many people outside of the squadron recently, honestly.”

Elan pulled out her pen and opened the new notebook to the first blank page. 

“So, Poe, how long have you been a pilot?”

“Right down to it, huh?" He crossed his arms around his chest. "Okay, I learned to fly when I was six.”

Elan looked up. “Six? You were just a kid."

Poe grinned. “Not too many mother options back on Yavin 4. An old A-wing. My mother’s.”

“Where you close?”

“Sort of.” His voice trailed off. “She died when I was eight.”

Elan put down her pen. “Oh… I’m really sorry, Poe.” The lack of formal training with in-person interviews meant that tact would have to an acquired skill. Something that was already not her forte. 

One side of his mouth twisted into a hint of a smile. “And I thought journalists did have a heart.”

“I’m an _archivist_ , Dameron.”

“Whatever you say, Miss Caledon. Caledon," he repeated. "That name sounds familiar. Any pilots in your family?”

Elan snorted. “Not likely. Not too many pilots on Denon.”

Poe whistled dramatically. “Denon? Geez, what are you doing on this shithole? Sorry.”

“Maybe I didn’t want to be another politician with sand between my ears? If that’s so shocking.”

“No need to be on the defensive. I just didn’t think most people would give up the comforts of home to be out here. It’s admirable.”

“I wish I could do more,” she admitted.  She caught his eye. His face had a warm expression on it and he appeared to be following her words carefully. 

"You could always become a pilot. With a little training, you might not be half bad at it."

"Oh no," she retorted promptly. "I'm not a fan of flying."

Poe put a hand over his heart. "This will never work then, I'm sorry."

"I'll learn to get over it." 

"Hey, you ever seen an X-wing up close?"

Elan looked up at him curiously. "Not that I'm aware... Should I?"

"How are you going to write about something you've never seen?"

"Well, my focus is on the pilots themselves. I don't think it's really relevant..."

Poe leaned forwards towards her. "Well, this one helped take down Starkiller Base. I guess you could say it's a quintessential piece of history." He beamed at her. She eyed him carefully. He did have a point.  Dammit. 

"Fine," she sighed. "When?"

"Now," he replied. 


	3. In which our hero experiences more than what he bargained for...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Elan learn a little more about each other. Elan learns very quickly about boundaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's actually going to be two updates within one day today! I thought about waiting to post until they were both ready but knowing how impatient I am with fics I'm following, I just couldn't do that to my two loyal followers. (Teehee.)

The hangar was as lively and jovial she could have expected. Almost the entire squadron were there, working on their respective Starfighters, apart from a few pilots running drills. One pilot had music blaring from a datapad where he was working and a few others had joined in singing the melody. Poe greeted everyone he saw warmly. It was obvious the young pilots looked up to him. Elan followed closely on his heels. She was entirely out of her depths among the greasy, sweaty bunch and she was more afraid of being underfoot than of the machinery surrounding her.

“There she is.” Poe raised his hands up to a black and orange vessel in front of them. “Gorgeous, right?” Elan observed him carefully, amused by his passion. To her it looked like any other dirty old fighter.  “Four ion engines, laser cannons, blaster torpedoes,” ushering to each part. He tucked his bottom lip under his teeth. “Of course, some custom additions from yours truly.” He looked over at her as if she should be impressed.

“Um, yeah. Its- she’s- a real beauty.”

“Here,” he ushered for her to join him beside the access ladder. “C’mon.”

“Come on, what…”

“Hop in!” Poe grinned at her. Elan laughed.

“You’re joking. I am not cramming myself in there.” She stepped back from the madman.

“Don’t be like that, Princess of Denon.” He mocked a deep bow. “You would honor this humble Resistance Fighter by blessing his vessel with your presence.”

Elan glared at him.

“Fine,” She spat, brushing past him. She worked her way up the ladder and awkwardly clambered into the pilot’s seat. Poe climbed up after her, resting against the top of the ladder by the cockpit.

“Put your hands here.” He took her hand, resting it on the steering column. She instinctively put her thumb on the red button at the top of it.

“Now whatever you do- DON’T TOUCH THAT!” Poe yelled quickly. Elan jumped back, releasing the column as if it had turned molten under her touch.

“What?!”

Poe erupted with laughter. Tears formed in his eyes as he cackled.

“Poe, what??”

“Whew, I’m sorry, kid. I was just joking.”

Elan scowled, debating whether a right hook or an uppercut would be better from her angle.  

“Alright, back up, hotshot. Let me out of this deathtrap,” she stammered.

“Deathtrap? Let’s not be cruel.”

Once safely back on the ground, Elan crossed her arms tightly.

“The hell was that?”

Poe hopped down to join her. “C’mon that was funny and you know it. Man, you must _really_ hate flying."

Elan shoot him a foul look and started to walk backwards away from him when her foot hit something hard. She tipped backwards, landing flat on her ass.

“Woah, buddy, are you okay?” Poe exclaimed.

Elan groaned. “Yeah, just a little-” She stopped. He wasn’t talking to her. Poe was bent down on one knee next to a round orange and white droid, the object Elan had tripped over. She propped herself up on her palms, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. Poe carefully looked over the droid, who chirped and whistled at the attention.

“No harm done, buddy.” He looked over at Elan, who was currently glowering at him yet again. “Your face could get stuck like that you know.” He gripped her hands and pulled her to her feet. “And you should watch your step. Just some free advice for you.” The droid rolled over to Elan and beeped up at her. “This is BB-8.”

Elan looked down at it. “Nice to meet you. Sorry about the rough landing.”

BB-8 let out a sound she could only interpret as friendly. Poe beamed down at the little droid. She couldn’t help but feel like Poe was looking at the machine like a proud father would. It was pretty endearing, she grudgingly admitted to herself. She hadn’t noticed until that moment Poe’s hand was still lingering on her her after he had helped her up. His hand felt large and rough, he had certainly earned that, but his grip was gentle. The lingering touch was unexpected and not entirely unpleasant considering she was ready to clock him just moments before.

“Well, Miss Caledon, what do you say to a cup of tea? Sapir, right? I owe you at that at least. Hell, I owe you two after scaring the pants off you up there.” He offered an optimistic smile.  

“If I say yes, can I get an actual interview out of you, Dameron?”

He slid his hand up her arm and gripped her shoulder. “You have me the rest of the day, kid.”

Elan nodded. “Okay. But stop calling me ‘kid’ if you value your life.”

He draped his arm around her. “The Resistance will not be intimidated,” he whispered with a smirk.

 

\-------

After her cup was safely away from Poe's reach on her desk, she set up her station for the interview. “Okay,” she began. “Now I guess we can meet the man behind the machine.” She allowed herself to give him a small smile, which he returned.

“Actually, I was hoping to know more about you, Princess. Just to level the playing field.”

Elan sighed. _Call me Princess one more time_ … she thought to herself.

“Fair enough. What do you want to know?”

Poe hummed and mimed putting on a pair of spectacles. “Let’s see…” He seemed all too amused with himself. “Alright, I’ll start with something easy: When did you know you wanted to be part of the Resistance?”

Elan was surprised by the lack of superficiality of the question and had to think a moment about her answer. She was expecting something more along the lines of “when did you lose your virginity”. In fact, that would have been a much easier answer, had he been interested.

“I guess I always wanted to do something more than politics. People were dying for what they believed in. Even worse, people were be killed for it. I couldn’t sit around and watch it happen, pretending it had nothing to do with me.”

Poe looked at her for a long time. He opened his mouth to to begin to say something a few times but thought better of it. He dropped his gaze from her eyes to the floor. Elan found herself slightly taken aback by the gesture and stiffened in her seat.

“That’s a good answer, Elan,” he said finally. “I’m impressed.”

“Well, you’d be the only one.” She allowed herself to relax slightly, sitting back in her seat.

“Mom and dad not too happy with the decision, huh?”

Elan shook her head harshly. “That’s an understatement. It’s much safer on the other side of conflict.”

“I dunno, I feel like being around politicians would be a lot more hazardous to your health.”

“Of course I’m not facing down the First Order. The stories I’ve heard are beyond atrocious.”

“Yeah…” Poe trailed off again. His eyes became dark, distant.

“Poe?”

“Sorry.” He shook his head and exhaled through his teeth. He cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed, and rubbing his hands together.

“Where you captured?”

“Yeah, I was.”

“I didn’t know, I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, sometimes getting to stare the enemy in the eye can do wonders for your work ethic. Well, ‘eye’ meaning figuratively. I never saw his face.”

Elan sat forward quickly.

“Holy shit... Ren?”

“Shit. I thought you knew that,” he said quietly.

“What was it like?”

Poe made a sarcastic utterance. “It was a real joy, let me tell you.”

“Poe, come on, this is huge. You actually met Kylo Ren.” She got up from her chair and moved to the other side of the desk beside him, her curiosity getting the better of her. She leaned in close to him.

“‘Met’ isn’t exactly the word I’d use.”

“Look, Poe, if there’s anything, _anything_ , you can tell me about it…”

“Tell you what exactly?” He raised his voice, startling Elan, making her step back from him. He stood up, his brows furrowing deeply. He began to sway on his feet, his eyes fixed on the floor. “Tell you it felt like my skull was being split in two? That it was the worst pain I’ve ever felt? Is that what you want to hear? That'll make for a great fucking story.” The volume of his voice went up with every statement, but he locked eyes with her at the last sentence. They were unforgiving. Furious. 

“Poe, I’m-” _Shit._

Without saying another word, he turned on his heels and stormed out of the room. Elan leaned back against her desk. Against her will, her eyes began welling with tears. Of course being tortured while being a captive of war isn't something to bring up lightly. Who was she to think she was entitled to that information? It was no wonder he had already began thinking of her like a common journalist. She began to question whether she was better than that at all herself. Guilt sat in her chest like a ton of metal. " _Well you really fucked that one up, E"_ she could already hear in Raissa’s voice.


	4. In which our hero has a rough night...

Every time she thought of the exchange with Poe, a lump formed in her throat. It occurred to her that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried. _Leave it to a man in uniform_. She also couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt like utter shit. Elan opted to skip dinner service and went directly back to her dorm. Once back in in the confines her room, she kicked off her shoes and tossed her bag on the couch.  She eyed the unopened bottle of Corellian wine her parents had sent along with her belongings, which looked like a very welcoming evening companion. Nothing like ending a shit day by getting shit-faced. A long shower was in order. She stripped off her tunic and leggings and stepped into a piping hot shower. The water stream was sporadic, again nothing like her rain shower back home, but it did the trick as she could feel the tension lessening under her skin. At this point, she could hop on the next shuttle and be done with the whole crazy notion that she could actually do something other than what she’d known her entire life. _I could just marry a senator, move to Coruscant- hell maybe even Nar Shaddaa, become a crime lord_. These thoughts were amusing but this perfunctory train of thought was one that got her through her mundane schedule the past few years.

The water sputtered against her back and its temperature began to quickly drop. Elan grumbled and stepped out, already feeling colder than when she went in. Shivering, she pulled on her robe. She was still toweling off her hair when she heard two harsh knocks at the door. Not wanting to hear Raissa scold her over yet another muck-up, she settled into her favorite spot on the couch, reaching for the welcoming bottle. She was just starting to wrestle with the cork when another obnoxious knock happened. Elan cursed loudly to herself. “What?” she called out.

“It’s me,” a male voice replied.

“Who the hell is ‘me’?”

“Poe. Expecting some other rakish r-renegade?” he stuttered.

“...Are you drunk?” She stomped over to the door and slid open the peephole. A very disheveled Dameron stood in her doorway.

“Maaaybe.”

“Go to bed, Dameron.”

“I’m here to apologize, Elan. C'mon.”

She rolled her eyes and swung open the metal door.

“What the hell do you have to apologize for?”

Poe was about to answer when a bewildered look came over his face.

“W-why are you wet?” He reached out and twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.

“Because I took a shower,” she retorted, swatting him away. “Come in, then.” Poe staggered in after her offer. “Listen," she began as she shut the door more harshly than intended. "I really had no business bringing… that up. I was out of line. I’m sorry.” _Whew._ Above all else, Elan _hated_ apologizing, even when she was blatantly at fault. It was a fatal flaw of hers she was all-too aware of. 

He looked up at her timidly, tipping his head to the side.

“You’re apologizing to me?”

“That’s generally what ‘I’m sorry’ means.”

“No, no. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. That was, that was mean. I’m sorry.” He bumped into the side table beside the couch, nearly toppling over himself. Elan stepped forward and gripped his arm.

“Sit down. I don’t need you passing out on me.”

His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks had a definite pinkish tint to them. He looked up at her from under his thick lashes.

“You don’t have to be so nice to me,” he grumbled, plopping down hard on the couch.

“I’m not nice to you.” She propped up a pillow behind his head. “Do you need a glass of water?”

He shook his head. Elan got one anyway.

“Here.” She set the glass down on the table and took the spot next to him on the couch. “Honestly, this could’ve waited until tomorrow.”

“I finish what I start, Princess. Sorry. You hate that.”

Elan chuckled. “I’ve been called worse. Poe, look.” She turned to him. “What happened to you… I should not tried to make you talk about it. It was selfish. I’d have been pissed at me too.”

“You didn’t know.” He rested his head against the pillow. He blinked a few times before angling his head to face her. He smiled weakly. His eyes looked exhausted.

“So, the squad pay the tab tonight?”

“Um. Nah… It was, uh, just me.”

“You did all this by yourself?”

An embarrassed nod was his response.

Elen frowned. “How did you know where my room was?”

“Oh, I saw your friend in the mess hall. The one with the hair.” He waved his hand around his head.

She should’ve known. “Raissa.”

“She called you ‘E’. I like that.”

“I like it better than Princess.” She elbowed him lightly. “I really am sorry I was a bitch to you today. I feel like I’ve done nothing but fuck things up since I’ve been here.” She leaned back in the couch, her shoulder resting against his. It was the first time she said how she felt out loud. The stark realization was one that hadn’t quite sunk in until this moment. Again, she found herself getting emotional, much to her contempt. She turned her head away to conceal the sudden flood of unwarranted emotion. _Dammit_. 

“Hey, now.” Poe leaned in close to her and rested the back of his hand against her leg. “Hey- my first solo flight out of the Academy, I was so,so excited. For weeks, _weeks_ , I’d been planning the exact run I’d make.” He ushered to the ceiling, envisioning the galaxies beyond. “I was so keyed up. I was pulling practice erra-evasive maneuvers left and right- literally. I was spinning out like you wouldn't believe. I wasn’t up there ten minutes before I threw up all over the cockpit.” The words were tumbling out of his mouth in a few barely distinguishable phrases, but she got the gist of the tale.

“What?! That’s absolutely disgusting!”

“You bet it was. You try completing a barrel roll when you got puke shifting through the compartment.” He made a few exaggerated motions with his hands, adding vile sound effects for emphasis.

Elan burst into laughter, doubling back against the couch. Poe didn’t share the laugh, but kept his eyes fixed on her with a wide smile toying at this lips.

“I’ve never seen you laugh before.”

His eyes were soft and warm, something Elan had never noticed. This was the closest proximity they had been since their meeting. She focused on his face; the warm tone of his skin, minuscule remnants of scars from past battles, day-old stubble adorning his jawline. Her eyes drifted up to meet with his, which were already resting on her face. He was still smiling at her, his index finger gently traced the hem on her sleeve.

  
“Elan,” he started.

She didn’t say anything. _Don’t screw this up, E. Don’t you dare_ . He leaned forward ever so slightly. She could smell the earthy scent of alcohol on his breath as well as a clean, masculine scent wafting from him. Not a hint of engine grease which lead her to believe he’d showered before invading her space. _Thoughtful._ The aura was a pleasant one and she found herself feeling comforted by it as though it stirred up a distant memory.

“Elan,” he repeated. “I, um…”

“Yes?”

“I, uh, I do not think I should have brought up the puke story.”

_Really, Dameron? Smooth._

“Don’t worry about it, it didn’t-”

“No, I mean I should not-” He stopped. He quickly glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the bathroom. It was then Elan noticed a slight green tint had began to color his face.

“Oh, um, yes. That way.” She nervously nearly shoved him off the couch while he made a hurried beeline for the lavatory. The door was barely closed before she heard him violently retching into the sink. She covered her mouth with her hand, chuckling in a sort of sick amusement. This was certainly not how she imagined he spent the majority of his late-night rendezvouses with women, or men, if the water-cooler rumors where true.  Poe groaned loudly. Taking pity on him, Elan meandered to the bathroom. He was hunched over the basin, propping himself up on his forearms, one hand supporting his head. He looked beyond miserable, but a more healthy hue was coming back into his face. She set the glass of water by the sink and patted his shoulder.

“I thought you pilots knew how to hold your liquor. Isn’t that what you’re famous for?” she quipped playfully.

“I never drink,” he murmured. “This is why.”

“Do you need to lie down?”

He lifted his head. “I should get back to my own-” he straightened up but immediately wobbled on his feet, grabbing the stone counter for support.

“Okay there, hot shot. Come here.” She slipped her arm around his waist for support and flopped his arm around her. She slowly trotted him back to the couch and laid him down gently. Poe was mumbling something under his breath as he propped his feet up on the arms she probably didn’t want to hear. Sighing to herself, Elan grabbed some spare linens out of her wardrobe and shook them out gently while he kicked off his shoes.

“Here.” She pulled the covers over him and up to his chest. “Just sleep it off, renegade.”

“Now I'm really going to owe you one."

Elan shook her head. "I'm sure the rumors will do wonder for my reputation. I've got the best pilot of the Resistance spending the night in my quarters." She winked.

Poe smiled at her and ushered to her face. “You have, uh, cool eyes.”

She shushed him and pulled a droll face.

“Just get some sleep. In the morning-” The aviator was already fast asleep, a look of contentment plastered on his face. She patted his foot on the way back to her bunk. Sliding into the covers, she chortled to herself. If her parents could see her now; a failing glorified note-taker with a drunken starfighter pilot passed out just a few feet away. An abhorrent snore broke her concentration. She lifted her head to view the back of the couch where she could see one of his arms limply hanging over his eyes. The obnoxious sound rumbled again through the usually peaceful dorm. This was going to be a long night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say, I had this scene in my head so clearly when I first started writing this story. Somehow I don't see a guy who spends most of his time with a droid and a starfighter being much of a heavy drinker. Maybe that's just me having oddly specific headcanons again... (Moi? No...)


	5. In which our hero almost has enough...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you dear readers are interested, I've been building a playlist based on this tale. You can check it out here:  
> https://open.spotify.com/user/1275190270/playlist/06dPEO4Z0Sr0jtNHmPQq6i
> 
> This chapter would've been ridiculously long if I hadn't forced myself to come to a good stopping point. There's a good chance you guys'll get TWO chapters today. At least I'm hoping for that. Again, feedback is definitely welcome. I warned you guys about the slow burn. But it's still simmering, I promise ;) I have to say I'm getting pretty tempted to pull a *NOW KISS* but maybe that's a point for the next chapter. Hmm.....

“Fuck!”

Elan immediately launched herself out of her bunk. The image that greeted her was one of Poe grabbing his foot and grimacing. It appeared he’d slammed into the same table he nearly toppled over the previous evening. Her night’s sleep left quite a bit to be desired as the continued snoring kept jolting her out of her slumber. Poe continued to curse under his breath. 

“You look like you had a rough night there, buddy.”

“Don’t look so amused,” he snorted actively avoiding her eyes as he hopped back to the couch.

“Did you really come over here, drunk off your ass, just to apologize to me?” Elan crossed her arms and leaned against the frame of her bunk. He angled his body to face her. 

“Is that really so hard to believe?” 

“It’s just different, I guess. It’s not what I would’ve expected. I mean, I don’t see that many guys like you showing up drunk to a girl’s bunk with an apology in their heads without some ulterior motive.” 

He sprung to his feet, trodding toward her. 

“You really think that little of me, don’t you?” There was confusion in his voice, and his face was twisted into a curious expression- Hurt? Offense? He was barely a foot away from her, his hands resting on his hips. Elan tried to take a step back but accidently backed against the door frame instead. 

“So, yeah. I came over here, yes drunk, yes to apologize. I don’t care whether you thought you had to or not, alright? _ I _ thought I had to.” He put his hand against his chest. “Maybe if you weren’t so hung up on who you  _ thought  _ I was and start paying attention to the person who’s actually in front of you, you might learn something.” His eyes bored into hers, his jaw clenched, and a scowl shadowed his gaze as he looked down at her. Elan was completely tongue-tied and could only stutter what may have worked up to be an apology, but Poe stepped back with his hands up before she could articulate an actual sentence. 

He gathered up the linens from the couch and began to fold them over his knee. She stayed with her back against the wall, her legs feeling completely immobile. Tossing the cloths on the couch, Poe sighed.

“You know, I like you, Elan. But, damn, if you aren’t the most bigoted person I’ve ever met.” He stormed past her, but halted when they were shoulder to shoulder. 

“Thank you for letting me stay here.” He placed his hand on her shoulder briefly and sauntered into the corridor. When the door shut and she was once again alone in her room, she slid down the entryway, hugging her knees against her chest. He had a point. From the moment they met, he’d done nothing but prove time and again that he wasn’t the licentious rebel like his reputation lead her to believe. Exhaling sharply, she heaved herself to her feet. She knew what she needed to do.

\----

 

There was a lull in conversation when Elan advanced into the mess hall.  _ Great _ . Apparently word travels fast, even in a military bunker. Raissa rushed over to her, grabbing her by the arm and shuffled her to a quiet corner of the room, although there were already hushed whispers spreading through the air.

“What the hell happened last night, E?” Raissa didn’t bother concealing her delight. “I know Poe wasn’t in his bunk last night and two different people saw him in your wing this morning. Dish.”

“I don’t want to squash the intrigue, Raissa, but it’s not what you think. Really.” 

This did little to pacify her friend’s eager curiosity, as she immediately shot her an unimpressed look.

“All I know is Poe showed up during my shift at the comm center last night asking where your room was, saying he had something he needed to ‘take care of’ with you.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Just spill, E. I wanna hear it from you, not any diluted version of the truth from the local yentas. Spill it.” 

“Fine.” She guided Raissa down to the empty seats beside them. “He showed up, completely wasted, wanting to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“Yeah. During our interview yesterday, I, um, asked some things I shouldn’t have. He was captured by the First Order. I didn’t know.”

“Shit…” Raissa sighed.

“He got upset I brought it up and stormed off. It was completely my fault. He just came back to apologize. I guess he felt bad for raising his voice.”

“And…?”

“And what? He ended up passing out on my couch and snoring the rest of the night. That’s all there is.”

Raissa scoffed. “Really? Well that’s boring,” 

Elan kneed her under the table.

“Unless you count puking in my bathroom a term of endearment, that was it.”

“Geez, I thought you two were actually going to work out some of this aggression or whatever. You guys are both boring.”

“Thank you for the encouragement, Raissa,” she retorted caustically.

“You know what I mean. It would just be nice to have a little distraction from the darkness of war, y’know? I dunno, I figured if the two of you hit it off, it would be a reminder that there’s something else worth fighting for. The reason why we do what we do. Love and war, all that bullshit.”

The disappointment on her face was more than obvious. Throughout their friendship, Raissa had always encouraged her to continue working for the Resistance, right from the moment she stepped into the base. 

“I was engaged, E.”

Elan’s jaw dropped.

“What?! To whom?”

“He was on Hosnian Prime.”

Oh my god, Raissa…”

Elan rushed over to her and threw her arms around her shoulders. There was nothing to suggest in Raissa’s demeanor that she was going through this. Again, a feeling of guilt washed over her. This war had been going on long before she’d become a part of it. Everyone on the base had lost someone. Poe lost half his fleet in the mission. General Organa had lost her hero. Elan had lost nothing. She knew nothing of sacrifice or lacking.  After a moment in the embrace, Raissa pulled back and placed her hands on Elan’s face. 

“Swallow your pride, Elan. Go apologize. No more of this petty crap, alright?”

Elan hugged her again. 

“Thank you, Raissa. Next time, just smack me alright?” 

They shared a laughed before she trudged off in the direction of the hangar.

 

\---

There was much more bustle throughout the garrison than when she made her previous venture, Elan nearly knocked into a few pilots on her way in. Her eyes scanned the hangar carefully, but a small wave of anxiety came over her. There was no sign of that godforsaken vessel anywhere in the vessel. 

“Hey, Elan!” a female voice called out. Jessika jogged over to her. “Hey, are you looking for Poe?”

“I am, actually.” She shoved her hands in her pockets, feigning disinterest. “Just some follow-up questions. Have you seen him?”

“He flew out this morning. I’m not sure how long he’ll be gone, but he did have his droid. It could be a while.” Elan’s eyes fell to the floor. Jessika bent her knees to meet her gaze. “You guys getting close? I’d hope so. We see him everyday and barely know anything about his. I mean he’s amazing in the skies, but other than that,” she shrugged. There was no inflection of underlying implication as to the nature of their relationship. Elan respected that, whether the rumor had reached Jessika or not. “Hey, wanna grab a drink later? I’ll buy. Maybe you can get some more story fodder on what us Resistance pilots are like behind-the-scenes. Get Raissa to come along.” Her smile was welcoming and the offer was tempting, but Elan wasn't entirely sure a night of debauchery was what she needed right now. 

"That might be nice. I'll get back to you."  
Jessika patted her shoulder, the same place Poe's hand rested so briefly this morning. Elan was left there in the hangar, others around her bustling about with their duties and responsibilities, discussing flight plans and tactics. Everyone had their job to do. 

Elan spent the next few hours tearing into her work. She was able to complete her transcripts of her interviews with Jessika and Snap and begin the lengthy upload into the database.  The productivity felt rewarding, but she found her thoughts repeatedly drifting to Poe. She knew she'd feel like a real ass if anything happened to him out here. _I'm sure he'd love that I'm so worried right now_. She grumbled and looked over at the clock on the wall. It was well past midnight. No sign of her pilot. Her pilot. She shook her head at the thought. This wasn't even a dogfight in the heat of battle. For all she knew this was just a simple recon mission. No cause for concern.  She rubbed her eyes as she realized just how badly her terrible night's sleep was affecting her. Before lethargy consumed her completely, she made her way back to her bunk.

Her room still had his faint scent in the air. The familiarity of it was overwhelming and a very odd sensation. Laying down on her stiff mattress without even stripping out of her tunic, she closed her eyes, memories of their moments replaying in her head. She found herself only cringing at about half of them. It was a slight improvement.

 

Elan awoke with a start to rapid knocking on her door without a clue how long she'd slept. When she opened it, she was greeted by a breathless, grinning Raissa. 

"It's about time you woke up. I just heard over the comms, Poe's almost back."

Against her better judgement, Elan found herself sharing the same stupid grin. She rushed after her companion to the landing space, hurriedly brushing her hair into a ponytail as she skipped along, and a small smile still on her lips. 

 


	6. In which our hero gets some surprise contact...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was way too excited to write this chapter... Suggestions/fluffy (or not so fluffy- hey ohhh) stuff are always welcome!

By the time Elan had made her way through the crowd, Black One was already safely docked in its usual spot in the hangar. Poe was just hopping out of the starfighter cockpit. BB-8 had been released from the astrometric chamber and was rolling around beneath its master’s feet. Other pilots were docking at the same time, creating a wind tunnel effect on the bunker. Elan shielded her eyes from the particles flowing freely in the air and trekked towards him. Poe had taken off this helmet and was in the process of trying to balance it on the access ladder when she timorously approached him . 

“Hey you.” He brushed his hair away from his eyes, damp with sweat, and leaving a small trail of grease across his forehead from his soiled hands. He was still slightly out of breath and looked like he was badly in need of a shower.

“Did you have a good flight?” Elan tried to sounds as unassuming as she could, although the dumb nature of the question sounded obviously so when it escaped her lips.

“Not bad. Not bad. Sometimes it feels good to just be up there. General Organa will be happy with the findings I think.”

“Really? What did you-”

“Classified,” he responded coyly. 

Another group of X-wings flew into the docking station, kicking up another hefty breeze around them. Poe instinctively squinted his eyes against the gusts, grinning as Elan tried in vain to plaster her hair to her head with her hands while simultaneously trying not to go deaf and blind.

“Here,” he yelled over the roar of the engines. He placed his helmet over her head, easing it down carefully. It was almost laughably large and was definitely still damp with his sweat. Elan tried to mask her disgust when she felt her scalp becoming dewy. The thunderous rumbles emitting from the vessels were dulled greatly by the padding of the helmet, something she was incredibly grateful for. When the last starfighter took its place in the hangar, Poe lifted the helmet off as gently as he’d placed it on. She quickly tried to brush her hair back into place. It was a hopeless cause as her tresses fell limply past her shoulders. Yet again, he balanced the well-used helmet on the closet rung of the ladder beside him. 

“I was hoping I could talk to you,” Elan said finally.

“Oh yeah” Poe propped his arm up against the ladder, knocking his helmet to the concrete floor with a loud clatter. “Shit!” he cursed as he hastily bent down to scoop it back up, but in doing so the data cylinders from his shoulder pocket slid out, scattering onto the floor and around their feet. Elan scrambled to grab them before they slid into the grate in the floor. She reached for the one rolling farthest from her feet, the same one that Poe happened to be trying to corral.

“I got it-” they announced in unison, their heads nearly colliding. Before she could pull back, Elan’s hand grazed the top of his.

“I’m so-” she turned her head to face him,  not realizing he was already facing her, her lips brushed so very gently against his own. Elan jumped back as if an electric shock had shot through them. Poe immediately beamed at her in amusement.

“Did you just...”

“No,” she spat.  Her cheeks and ears were burning red.  _ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck _

“You totally did.” He began to chuckle.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Elan raised to her feet briskly, brushing her hands hastily down her leggings, swatting away dirt that wasn’t there, absolutely refusing to look up at him, although she knew there was a dumb grin plastered on his face.  _ Fucking fuckity fuck _ . 

“Uh huh.” He crossed his arms, shifting his weight onto one leg. Attracted by the clatter, his droid zipped around his feet, beeping and chirping rapidly. “It’s alright, BB-8. Elan here was just about to ask me something, but she decided to kiss me instead.” The BB unit swung its head up towards her.  _ Great, now the droid is humiliating me as well _ . Poe reached forward and rubbed her forearm, seeing that the redness in her face showed no sign of dissipating. “Honest mistake.”

Elan allowed herself to look up at him, dismayed to find there was a slight pink hue to his cheeks too. 

“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked, clearing his throat. Change of subject.  _ Thank you,  _ she said internally _. _

“I felt like I needed to apologize. Again,” she admitted sheepishly. “I’ve been awful to you. I’m sorry. I was a snob. I’ve never really met anyone like you before.” 

Poe sniggered. “You've met countless people in your time with interplanetary politicians.” He leaned in towards her. “But none like me, huh?” 

She shook her head. “Nope. None like you, Dameron.” 

He tucked his bottom lip inside his mouth, running his tongue against it. Elan didn’t take her eyes off the subtle gesture. _Dammit_.

“Well, apology accepted, Princess Caledon. I wouldn’t know what to do with me either.” 

Their conversation was cut short when a junior officer jogged up to him.

“Apologies, Mr. Dameron. General Organa requests to see you at once.” 

Poe immediately straightened his posture. Elan watched as his expression meld into that of duty and fealty. He looked over to her momentarily before chasing after the young officer, his droid following faithfully behind him. Elan leaned her back against the X-wing, still warm to the touch from its venture. She ran her finger ever so gently across her lips. In that fleeting moment, the slight scrape of his stubble against her mouth, the close scent of his sweat and musk, the fervor in his eyes, she felt for the first time she was experiencing the real Poe Dameron. 

 

\---

 

“You did  _ what _ ?!”

“It was an accident! I don’t even know how it happened, it was that fast.”

Raissa and Elan were crouched on either side of the couch in her dorm. Raissa had an open-mouth smile practically plastered on her face. Elan couldn’t help but continue to blush while regaling her with the tale. After sharing the details of her encounter, Raissa made the executive decision to crack open the bottle of Corellian wine, something Elan gladly obliged. They were two glasses in, cackling loudly, as they exchanged horrendously exaggerated impressions of people who worked in the base. The cachinnation was refreshing, albeit slightly undermining to their superiors, something Elan just had to bring up.

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” Raissa had retorted.

Once again, a loud rapping on her door interrupted their conversation. _I really should invest in a "do not disturb" sign._ Groaning, Elan sauntered over to the door, opening it to reveal the same young officer that has whisked Poe away earlier. 

“General Organa requests your presence in the Command Room, Miss Caledon.”

She turned to Raissa, a quizzical expression already on her face. 

“I’ll be right there.” The officer jogged away yet again.  _ Is he allowed to just walk anywhere?  _ She barreled into the bathroom to splash water on her face in a futile attempt to appear sober. The last thing she needed was to drunkenly gallivant into the office of one of the most powerful people in the galaxy. 

“I’ll be here with the wine,” Raissa gibed.

 

\---

 

The Command Room was just as imposing as Elan had envisioned it; dozens of monitors and holograms projecting data and intricate maps, with multiple workers at each station deeply engrossed in their work. She felt immediately out of place among the significant players for the cause as she awkwardly stepped into the bustling chamber without anyone looking up as she passed. Standing at the large console in the center of the space, was General Organa. Elan stopped dead in her tracks. She’d met hundreds of dignitaries over the years, but none felt as formidable as she. Even though Elandidn’t much stock into the idea of idols, if she did, Leia would be one of them. Sensing her presence, the General turned to face her, a warm smile crossing her face.

“Miss Caledon, thank you for taking the time to come out here.” She held out her hand. Elan rushed to shake it, concealing her own trembling hand as best she could.

“Not at all, ma’am.” Her back was stick straight, remembering all her lessons on how to appear in front of important figures. 

“Come, let’s speak in my office.”

Leia’s office was nowhere near as austere as the rest of the facility. There were plants adorning shelves next to stacks upon stacks of holobooks and old documents. Elan tried not to stare, imagining the wealth of sensitive information encased within this walls.

“So. It’s come to my attention from a certain pilot that you’re quite the researcher. He says your skills as an archivist are unmatched.” She looked pleased at the notion.

_ Goddammit, Dameron, what did you do… _

“If I’m honest, I’ve only just started ma’am- General. I’m not sure how well I’m doing. I didn’t exactly train for this back on De-”

“Denon, I know. I’ve met your parents many times. Your mother is quite the shrewd negotiator. And if  _ I’m _ honest, I am surprised they let you come out here.”

“I didn’t give them much of a choice, I’m afraid.” The corner of her mouth tipped up slightly. 

“You’re ballsy. I can see why he suggested you for this.”

“For what, exactly?”

 

\----

 

“What the  _ hell  _ were you thinking, Dameron?” Elan slammed her palms against the pilot's shoulders.

“Ow! You’re  _ welcome _ .” He rubbed his arm roughly, looking pitiful. “I know you aren’t happy cooped up in your little cubicle all day, this is a chance for you to really do something for the Resistance.”

“But Dantooine? Why the hell do I have to go to Dantooine?”

“ _ We _ are going to Dantooine. The General thinks there’s a chance sensitive material could've left back on the base that could prove detrimental to us now. I know she explained all of this to you, you really should learn how to listen.”

Elan balled her hands into fists, ready to aim a little higher this time, and let out a slightly overly dramatic exasperated grunt.

“Poe, this is much too important for me to do. I could screw this up and everything would be lost and it would all be my fault.”

“Hey, hey.” He gripped her shoulders, shaking them slightly. “This is absolutely _not_ too important for you. The fact that you care so much about it proves that. Besides, she’s not even sure anything’s survived that hasn’t already been ransacked or destroyed. But it’s worth a shot. You can do this. I’ll be there with you.”

While she was sure that was meant to comfort her, anxiety welled up in the pit of her stomach. His goofy smile was doing little to dissuade her from going.  _ How was he so damn hopeful all the time? _   Elan sighed again, looking up at him. 

“Is that leer a yes?”

“I wasn’t leering!”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

Poe clapped his hands on her shoulders with a cheer. _Ow._

“I’ll ready the transport.”

“Wait- What are we taking?” She tried to hide her impending panic.

“A Lambda shuttle we have lying around. You’ll love it, trust me.” He darted off to who-knows-where leaving Elan to remember just how much she really hated flying. This will certainly be an adventure.


	7. In which our hero sets out with his companion...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Elan head for Dantooine while Elan wrestles with unwarranted thoughts.

“Oh you have  _ got  _ to be kidding.”

Elan hurriedly shoved her clothes into a canvas bag while Raissa paced around her. She’d repeated the phrase at least four times previously.

“How long are you going to be gone?”

“I’m not sure. The general feeling was it would be however long it takes to know if there’s anything there worth investigating. General Organa seemed to think around a week.”

“Hmm.” Raissa crossed the room and stood in front of her friend. “Look, just- just be careful, alright?”

Elan scoffed. “Be careful of what? The base has been abandoned for decades.”

“No, I mean- _ugh_. I mean all of it. It’ll just be the two of you out there.”

“Wait, you mean with Dameron?”

“I’m just saying, watch yourself. You’ll be isolated. If he tries anything you don’t want him to-”

“Woah, Raissa. I appreciate the concern but trust me, I really don’t think I have to worry about that.”

“Look just because he was a gentleman when he was drunk, doesn’t mean he always will be.” Raissa gripped Elan’s shoulder. “I’m just saying look out for yourself. And I’ll miss you. So come back in one piece.”

The two embraced, Elan smiling into Raissa’s hair. It was a pleasant feeling, being looked after. 

\---

 

“Alright, so this is the blaster cannon. In case we run into any trouble. Which we won’t,” Poe said in response to the expression Elan pulled. 

“What, that?”

“No that is the laser cannon.” Poe took her hand and angled it lower. “ _That_ is the blaster cannon. Here, follow me.” He lead her aboard the shuttle, the metal reverberating under their feet with every step. The interior was dingy and dilapidated, but at least it looked like it would run. “I converted two of the cargo holds into crew quarters, just past the starboard seating over here,” he remarked as his ushered to two small compartments.

“You had time to do that?” Elan inquired, slightly impressed.

“Well, by ‘convert’ I mean I put cots in there…” Poe scratched his head. “But it beats sleeping in the bucket seats, not that I’m against that.” 

She peeked her head into the alcove. The width of the space was barely large enough to fit the bed, let alone room for anything else. But it was an effort that she appreciated. Obviously the gratitude did not translate to her expression as Poe elbowed her side gently.

“Hey, I know it's not the coziest of accommodations-”

“No, it’s fine. Honestly.” She shot him a smile and slung her pack on the bed. “Thanks, Poe.” 

“Ready to see where the magic happens?” _Um..._

Elan raised an eyebrow. He tipped his head towards the front of the craft. Poe placed his hands on the back of seat at the head of the compartment looking already pleased with himself.

“This’ll be me.” He then pointed to the chair beside it. “You. You’re my co-pilot on this voyage.”

Elan snickered.

“Do you  _ want  _ us to crash and die?”

“Well, it’ll just be the two of us. If it starts getting hot out there, I’ll take the gunnery seat and call out the controls to you. You’ll be fine. This thing can actually run with just a single pilot, but it’s more fun with two as with most things.” Poe winked. Elan ignored the double entendre and tried to focus on being more impressed with his level of knowledge. “These used to be an Imperial shuttles. They can take a beating.  We’ve got enough supplies for two weeks, but that’s including emergency rations, which we won’t need. I doubt this will be longer than a week at most. So, Miss Caledon, you ready for this?” 

Although Elan was more than apprehensive about her skills when it came to the mission itself, she had to admit the idea of the excursion riled up genuine excitement. She bounced on her feet for a moment then hopped in the co-pilot seat, grinning up at her pilot, who took out a flight helmet from underneath the seat and placed it gleefully on her head.

He slid into the pilot station and hummed to himself as he fiddled with the switches and dials on the console. Elan eyed him carefully; he looked completely in his element as the ship roared to life underneath them. The feeling of motion roused the all too familiar sense of anxiety inside her and she found herself tightly gripping the armrests of her seat, trying to remember to breathe normally. Poe must have noticed her tension, as he reached over and placed his hand atop hers. 

“Relax,” he said calmly.  _ Easy for you to say, flyboy.  _

The shuttle lifted off the ground with a loud rumble. Elan bit her lip.  _ I hate flying, I hate flying _ . Although the initial takeoff was smooth, as the lower wings expanded downward when they were airborne, the vibration once again set her on edge. She had faith in Poe’s skills as a pilot, but she couldn’t help but feel she was in an aerial coffin. She clamped her eyes shut, praying for an uneventful journey. 

The overall flight only took a few hours and was relatively smooth, much to Elan’s relief. It had only taken about half of that time for her knuckles to regain their color, which definitely did _not_ have to do with the fact Poe’s hand spent most of that time resting on hers when not needed for navigation. The contact was indeed comforting and she had to admit, much to her own vexation, that she didn’t exactly find it entirely disagreeable.  _ Do not fall for a pilot, E. Bad idea. _  Poe recounted tales of his favorite missions for her amusement, the laughter helping to ease some of her consternation, which she was again grateful for. Among the anecdotes were some very close calls and near-misses, stories that Poe made Elan swear she wouldn’t repeat as they weren’t quite in the realm of “following orders”. His thumb had traced small circles across the top of her hand between his stories and she wished to herself that the motion wasn’t just an idle gesture.  _ It’ll be just the two of you out there,  _ Raissa’s words echoed between her ears.  It had occurred to her that this entire mission could be an elaborate scheme to get her into bed with him, but the thought that Poe would take time away from his beloved squad and X-wing just to sleep with her seemed entirely too far-fetched (although slightly flattering). Her thoughts drifted again to the contact their lips had made that morning. She ran her fingers over her mouth again, letting a small chuckle escape.

“What?” Poe inquired curiously. 

“Hmm?”

“You laughed. What’s funny?”

_ Shit. _

“Oh, um, I was just thinking about something Raissa said.”

“She seems like a firecracker, that one. She cares about you a lot.”

“How would you know?” 

Poe snorted. “Well, for starters, when I asked about where your room was, I thought she was going to knock me out. I had to prove my intentions were noble. I don’t want to know what she’d have done if my intentions  _ weren’t _ so noble.”

“She probably would’ve given you a key.” 

The two shared a hearty laugh and Elan took note of the crinkles that formed around his eyes and the creases of his smile in doing so. 

Poe began expertly lowering the shuttle down onto the marshy grasslands below. Elan found herself leaning forward to examine the scenery surrounding them. It occurred to her that this would be her first time exploring a woodland planet, a stark difference from the sprawling, dwarfing cityscape of Denon. Since she couldn’t exactly explore D’Qar in her spare time without considerable scrutiny and possible breaches of security. This excursion had the opportunity for adventure and just the right amount of intrigue. 

“Alright, Princess. Your palace awaits.”

Once the vessel was safely on the ground, Poe stretched out his arms with a groan.

“Well, let’s see what this place has to offer us.” He hoisted her up out of her seat and punched the release for the exit ramp. A stream of fresh air wafted into the compartment. The breeze was cool and crisp around her face as they stepped off the vessel. Elan was instantly awed by the atmosphere; lush, towering trees reached as tall as skyscrapers, the monoliths created random bursts of warm streams of sunlight in the breaks of their leaves as they swayed in the wind. Immediately, Elan scurried out to the open meadow, before Poe caught her by the shoulder.

“Not so fast, hotshot. Just because this place is listed as abandoned doesn’t mean it is.” With a small shock, she took account of the blaster pistol resting on his belt. “Don’t worry, E. I’ll protect you.”  _ So he adopted my nickname now. Better than ‘princess’. _ “Just let me go ahead before you go dashing off into the sunset, alright?” 

With a buzzing sound whizzing past her feet, Elan nearly jumped out of her skin.  _ Of course he brought the droid.  _ She’d completely forgotten the two were nearly joined at the hip. BB-8 chirped inquisitively as if offended by her reaction as it passed. 

“Of course she likes you!” Poe declared as if entirely shocked by the notion. Elan smiled first at him then down at the little ball almost hiding behind his legs. “Why don’t you stay with her while I do a quick scout ahead?” BB-8 beeped happily. “Hey, you keep her safe, okay?” The droid rolled closer to her while Poe jogged ahead. Elan found her eyes drifting from the back of his head south. 

“Not the worst view… “ she commented aloud before she could stop herself. BB-8 whirred by her foot, tilting its head towards her, letting out a quizzical chirp. “Oh do  _ not  _ tell him I said that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy mother of tension, I hope y'all are down for these next few chapters. I've been tearing through them like a house on fire, so brace yourselves, troops.


	8. In which our hero gets quite the view...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elan's curiosity takes over as she disobeys Poe's direction, setting off a chain of events leading to both embarrassment and intrigue.

Poe was taking far too long to make it back to the shuttle, but the longer she went without hearing blaster fire, she figured it was a good sign. Elan couldn't help but begin to be annoyed with the order to stay put, and she began to rock back and forth on her heels, murmuring to herself. The droid was fastidiously rolling within an arm’s reach of her, carefully following its master’s order. 

Elan stepped around the vessel and looked around for Poe. She bit the inside of her lip and carefully began edging towards the forest. BB-8 whistled in her direction and moved in front of her to block her path.

“Oh come on, you can still protect me. Just… protect me over there.” 

A sad noise emitted from the droid but it continued to dutifully follow her. Elan carefully stepped over fallen branches and debris, not entirely sure of her footing on this new terrain. She breathed deeply, deeper than she ever could in the cities she’d inhabited. She could hear noises coming from creatures she’d never seen and saw plants she never knew existed. The entire thicket looked completely untouched by civilization and she felt as through she was discovering a completely new world, one promising mystery and enchantment. 

An old shuttle was crashed directly in view of her current path, and she was sure Poe would’ve know the exact make and model of the transport, even from this distance. Curiosity got the better of her and she decided that the derelict site would be her destination. She barely trudged a few yards before a large tree between two massive rockfaces blocked her path. Straddling the tree, she attempted to propel herself over it although her shorter legs were making it an incredibly difficult feat. Grunting and cursing loudly, she tried to shimmy over the thinnest part of the trunk, yet it was still wider than the span of her arms. 

“Give me a break, you piece of-”

In one fell motion, she veered off the other side of the wooden behemoth with a yelp, sliding across the slick grass below it and down a steep embankment that she was unaware was awaiting her on the other side. She careened straight into a hip-deep bog filled with frigid, stagnant water. She shrieked, while BB-8 began rolling frantically down the hill after her. The vile scent invaded her nostrils as she tried not to gag. Poe must have heard her screech, as immediately he began calling out her name. _Well f_ _ uck .  _

“Elan?  _ Elan _ !” His voice was almost panicked, something she’d never heard before.

“I’m here!” she yelled. 

Poe rounded the corner frantically, blaster at the ready, to see her trying to shake the film and rotted plant matter off her arms. The look on his face quickly faded from concern to humor as he didn’t bother concealing his laughter and dropped the weapon back to his side. Elan glared at him.

“That’s what you get, you know. I told you to stay put.” 

“Whatever, Dameron, just help me out. P-please,” she pleaded between his laughing fits, trying to fight back her teeth chattering. 

“Alright, hang on, Princess, I’m coming.” Poe grabbed her hands and lifted her out of the marsh with ease, shaking off the moisture leftover from her hands. 

“Oh… wow.” Poe winced when she was safely back on steady ground. 

“Yes, I know. I stink. Thank you, Dameron. And I’m freezing, so can we please just head back to the shuttle now?”

Poe took pity on her, pulling a soggy vine out of her hair.

“Why did you come out here anyway?”

Elan pointed to the crashed vessel a few meters away. 

“I was wondering if that old hunk of junk out there maybe had pertinent data onboard.”  _ And I was bored waiting for your sorry ass to come back.  _ Poe squinted at the crash site, furrowing his brow. An odd look came over his face. He looked over to Elan, her arms crossed tightly across her chest and shaking harshly. 

“Let’s get you back before you freeze.” He slung his arm around her as he led her back to the Lambda.

 

\----

 

On the trek back to the shuttle, Poe only made about half a dozen remarks about her unique aroma. In turn, she elbowed him in the side only a half a dozen times. 

“Well, obviously you need to get out of those clothes,” Poe commented when they’d reached the Lambda.

“Obviously,” Elan retorted sarcastically. “I’m irresistible right now.”   
With a chuckle, he opened up storage locker beside her bunk, pulled out an old navy jumpsuit and tossed it to her. 

“Here. If you’re going to be off adventuring like you did today, you’re going to need something a little more sturdy than-”, he ushered to her current attire, “whatever you call that you’re wearing.”

She snatched the dingy outfit out of his hands. “Fine.” 

“The ‘fresher is in that corner. You’ll be alright here if I scout out ahead?”

“I think I can handle a shower on my own, thank you, Poe.”

“You sure? I mean, if you need a hand-”

She swatted him with the jumpsuit.

“Alright, fine. Have it your way.”

The refresher was barely larger than a couple of meters, with the toilet almost occupying the same space as the shower, but at this point Elan only cared about washing the swamp muck off her person. She stripped off her filthy clothes and they landed on the floor with a sickening splat. The tile floor of the space became incredibly slick as she began to shower off the grime. She tried her best not be disgusted by the greenish hue the water puddling around her feet became. To her surprise and delight, the water was a decent temperature and rather satisfying. When she’d reached an acceptable level of cleanliness, she reached down to grab her towel, finding that she’d not only left that in her bunk, but the jumpsuit as well.

_ Shit. _

Elan peaked her head out of the bathroom stall. 

“Poe?” she whispered harshly. Upon hearing no response, she raised her voice and tried again. After another silent response, she made a mad dash out of the refresher towards her bunk, still naked and sopping wet. She was barely out of the bathroom before she slipped and fell nearly face-first against the cold floor.

_ Shit. Shit. Shit. _

Stunned, she attempted to scramble back up to her feet, but not before a familiar rolling ball came whizzing up the access ramp, meaning Poe was close behind. The droid upon seeing her began to beep and whistle loudly, as if sensing something awry. Elan cursed loudly, willing herself off the floor, but as she did she made instant eye contact with Poe who had jogged up the incline, hearing his droid's distress. 

“Hey buddy, what’s wro-” Poe halted immediately. His jaw hung agape and his eyes widened. Elan froze before crippling humiliation could set it, not daring to move a muscle. They both stood completely stationary for an inordinate amount of time, their eyes locked, Elan trembling in place as she felt errant drips of water tracing down her exposed skin. 

After what felt like eons, BB-8 whirred and spun its head around to face Poe. This must have knocked him out of his stupor,  as he promptly dropped his gaze to the floor and cleared his throat loudly.

“I, uh,-” Elan began.

“I should’ve said som-”

“The floor was wet-”

“I heard the-”

“Forgot my clothes-” 

Poe looked back into her eyes with an expression Elan did not know how to translate. The feeling was both terrifying and thrilling. 

“I’m just going to…” she motioned with her thumb in the direction of her bunk. 

“Oh, um, yeah. You look… cold.” Poe turned his back to her and she could see him rubbing his face with vigor, his ears a deep red color. Elan eased her way into the bunk on tip-toed feet, biting her lip and cursing herself for her wonderfully graceful display,  as she tucked herself into the alcove and out of sight. She slowly peaked her head around the corner of the door just in time to see Poe slinking awkwardly towards the bathroom, a strained look on his face. She couldn’t help but notice he was walking with a stiff-legged gait as if there was a sudden bulky weight between his steps. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that ending this chapter where I did caused me physical pain.


	9. In which our hero(s) begin their adventure...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the boatload of exposition in this chapter. I wanted to set the scene a bit and may have gotten carried away with the descriptors as this chapter is a bit longer than others. But you might have fun if you read until the end...  
> Also, I do have the next few chapters almost finished so be prepared for a few updates the next 24 hours :D  
> Thanks for the encouragement, my dear readers<3

Elan considered just staying in her bunk indefinitely until she became absorbed in its metal skeleton. She paced around the small enclosure, chewing on the cuticle of her thumb. If she was to ever allow Poe Dameron to see her naked form, that was not the way she would've chose for it to play out. To think, her initial annoyance with him was the fact that _he_ was the bumbling nitwit to start with. 

 After her bare-skinned fiasco, she would’ve been content to don a canvas sack if it meant being covered up. Mustering up her courage and what was left of her dignity, Elan stepped out of her hole trying to hide the mortification from her face. The jumpsuit was absurdly large on her and she had attempted to cuff the bottoms, but they were a hopeless case and she found herself still tripping over the bottoms. Poe was on his back, fiddling with the wiring and components underneath the pilot console, looking deeply engrossed in his work. Elan cleared her throat to announce herself, a habit they both would probably benefit from adopting. However, the sudden noise startled him out of his concentration, and he sat up quickly, slamming his head into the console in the process.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed, clamping his hand against his forehead.

“Oh, shit.” _He survived Kylo Ren and I’ll be the death of him._ She rushed over to him and crouched beside him. Grumbling, he sat up gradually, resting his arms over his knees. Elan sat next to him underneath the station. He looked over her, lifting her arm up by the clumsily rolled up sleeve of the oversized jumpsuit.

“Sorry, I should’ve checked to see if they come in Ewok sizes.”

“Ha. Ha. I’m eye-to-eye with the General, you know. I don’t see you sassing her about it.”

“That’s because she scares me.” Poe expertly rolled her sleeves into cuffs, chuckling at the ample fabric still left. “So, uh, wampa in the room. Totally saw you naked.” He set her hand back on her lap.

“Mhmm. That you did.” Elan looked down and fumbled with the collar of the jumpsuit, attempting to fight back obvious signs of her embarrassment. "Sorry."

"I'll forgive you. Honestly, not the worst view." Elan gulped at the quote of her own remark. Almost as if it were going into hiding, BB-8 whizzed by and into Poe's bunk. _That little orange..._ Poe budged her gently with his arm. 

“Okay, wampa in the room addressed. Ready to go investigate this fool’s errand, now?” He shot his all-too charming grin at her.

\----

The trek to the base much easier than Elan expected, no climbing gear needed to her relief, although she did end up stumbling over fallen timber and unsteady ground. Poe had landed the shuttle far enough as to not be obvious for anyone, or anything, that may have adopted the base as a shelter, but close enough to make it there and back after investigation before dark. As they walked, Poe rattled off names of flora and fauna they passed, Elan finding each one more fascinating than the next. The light breeze flowed through her hair, brushing strands in front of her eyes. The air here was so pure and refreshing her body felt rejuvenated, even if her mind replayed her less than proud moments in her head every few minutes as if the idea of being too comfortable was a threat.

When the pair reached the looming structure, Elan gaped at its size. The base itself was surrounded by a massive concrete fences at least a five meters high and in its center was a  two-story building with guard towers on each side. One small portion of the wall was collapsed and left easy access to the interior, whether it was due to age or the result of battle damage, Elan could not be certain. Despite its seemingly easy to defend architecture, vines and moss covered almost every flat plane of the edifice.

“You’re staring,” Poe teased after giving her a few moments to gawk.

“It’s incredible.”

“Wait until you see the inside.” Poe took her hand and led her carefully over the crumbling stones. “Now I’ve scouted most of this area, but considering the foliage and concealed spaces, that doesn’t mean much. Just stay close.”

The silence within the walls was almost deafening. Every rock her foot kicked or twig she snapped reverberated throughout the structure, creating an eerie atmosphere. BB-8 whirled around the open area, surveying the grounds. Within the confines of the courtyard, they were entirely exposed. Elan began to feel uneasy as they approached the entrance. The door had long since been rusted open and moss covered the entrance like garland. Poe stepped ahead and motioned for her when he cleared the lobby. There was plenty of natural light bleeding in through the open ceiling which may have once been glass. Most of the ground was covered in leaves and bits of dusty soil, tracked in decades prior. The air was closer inside, almost musty.

Elan moved through the lobby, drinking in her surroundings. The wild nature of it all was like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

“Geez, you’d think you’d never been outside, E,” Poe remarked.

“Well there’s not many forests on Denon.”

“You really spent your whole life in a glass castle, huh?”

“Pretty much.” Elan ran her hand over an empty shelf. There was a large broken crystal vase, remnants of plant stems withered inside. _A glass castle._

“The data center is this way. If there’s anything to be found, it’ll be there. Watch your step,” he commented as they trudged further into the building.

“Do you think we will find anything?”

“I suppose that’s why I have you. I don’t know what the hell we’re supposed to look for.”

“Well my parents kept copies of sensitive material on holobooks and datapads hidden away in random places in case the originals were ever stolen or destroyed. I always found them though.”

Poe gasped dramatically. “Princess Caledon was a snoop? No.”

“Ha. Ha. We had one or two covert locations. One of the sculptures in our garden had a hidden panel. I used to hide notes in there for-”

Poe stopped and turned to her with a mischievous look.

“For _who_?” he teased.

“No one…”

Unconvinced by her reply, he crossed his arms and ran his tongue across his teeth. “Uh huh.”

“Fine. He was just the son of one of my parents’ business partner.”

“Was it serious?”

“Why, Mr. Dameron is that _jealousy_ I detect?” she chided.

“No.” He kicked a tuft of dead grass beside his boot. “I mean, you _were_ leaving love letters for the guy in your _garden_.” He put emphasis on the last word as it if were an ultimate luxury.

“It could’ve been, but no.” Elan shrugged. “It was fun, but that’s it. How about you, Mr Resistance hotshot? Any clandestine romances in your past?”

“I might have left some broken hearts on a planet or two.”

“Ah, so there is some truth to the rumors after all.”

“I have rumors?” His tone seemed legitimately questioning, much to Elan’s bewilderment. “Here we are.”

The data center was completely ransacked. Stations with shattered holoscreens, upturned desks and chairs, dozens of holobooks laid pulverized on the floor. The level of destruction was immeasurable. Elan sighed.

“Well, if we leave now we can make it back to the mess hall for dinner service,” Poe quipped. Disappointment hit her harder than she could’ve planned for. The idea she could be part of something bigger than herself was beginning to feel more foolish and stupid. She plopped down hard in the nearest seat, Poe sitting on the desk it belonged to.

“C’mon, E. We knew there wasn’t much of a chance there’d be anything out here anyway. It’s been decades. I’m surprised this place isn’t a scavenger’s outpost by now.”

Elan propped her elbow on the desk and rested her head against her palm. Her eyes canvassed the room in all its squalor; most every breakable object in the room was completely destroyed. She glanced up around the only still-standing shelving unit. At the top of the shelf, there was a small rectangular grate, most likely a part of some sort of ventilation system. Elan sat up immediately.

“Poe,” she began, smacking his leg with her hand. “Poe, help me get up there.” She bolted over to the shelf, shoving debris out of her path. Now that she was closer, she could see that the grate was missing its screws and it had simply been placed back into the niche in the wall. There was a layer of rust and corrosion around the edges but nothing that would stop her from prying the metal was from the wall.

“There was a vent like this in my room. I’d stash stuff in there as a kid.”

“Damn, you were a little rabble rouser, weren’t you?” He bent down and positioned his hands together to hoist her high enough to the vent. She was just tall enough to reach the bottom lip of the grate and she grunted loudly as she pried off the rusted hardware off the wall. It fell to the ground with an echoing, eye-splitting clatter. They both moved to cover their ears, Poe nearly dropping her in the process. Elan examined the opening in the wall. She couldn’t see into the shaft but she felt the overwhelming feeling of the promise of intrigue.

"Ugh," Elan scoffed. “I don’t think I’ll fit.”

“Oh please. I’ve seen your… frame. You’ll fit.”

Elan looked down at Poe, who looked slightly miffed at his own phrasing.

“Alright, boost me up.”

Poe raised his hands higher so she was balanced on his shoulder as he steadied himself against the wall. She clambered into the vent, Poe still holding onto her legs in case he needed to pull her out quickly. Elan coughed and sputtered as dust filled her nose and irritated her eyes. There was a steep incline to the vent that veered off around a tight corner, but at the base of the shaft, Elan could see the tiniest piece of cloth peeping out. There was so little light coming into the vent, she had to squint through the floating dust particles hanging around like ashes in the air. She shimmied in a little more and could just make out what looked like a large, filled canvas satchel. 

“Holy shit…” she muttered under her breath. 

“If its a rat, no, you can’t keep it. Also, you may be small, but you’re getting heavy, kid,” Poe grunted.

“Poe, shut up. There’s something in here. Let go, I think I can climb down and get it.”

“Oh no. I am _not_ letting you climb in there.” He tightened his grip around her ankles as she tried to squirm further in.

“Hey!” she protested as he began to lower her down. She could feel the dirt particles on her face and still lingering in her nostrils.

"What the hell, Dameron?"

He stopped with his arms around her waist, their faces level. There was an odd expression on his face, those dark eyes look entirely focused on her. She placed her hands on his arms and could feel the muscles tense beneath the fabric. His grip around her was solid, but he lowered her down gently to her feet. His eyes traced down her face, resting on her lips. Their hands were still resting on each other and once again, Elan caught herself savoring the scent of him. This was the closest they'd been since their accidental meeting of lips, yet Elan found the familiarity enticing. Poe reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face. His hand, broad and rugged, rested against her cheek, their bodies still pressed together.  A slight pulling sensation traveled from her navel south as she observed the thicker stubble across his jaw and around his lip, his mouth already agape slightly. Scared to move her body, she tipped her head slightly forward towards his. Her eyes rolled upwards to meet his, which were still fixated on her lips. She dared to move closer still, inches away from his welcoming mouth- _shit._

Elan pulled back, sneezing abruptly and harshly, the dust betraying her. _._ She raised her hand to wipe the remaining dust off her face, but before it reached her, Poe gripped it, holding it over her head and- _holy fuck._

He plunged his mouth against hers, pinning her hand against the wall above her, pressing her back against the wall. The roughness of his scruff scraped the area around her mouth, the harshness of the feeling arousing a hunger deep in the pit of her torso causing her to open her mouth wider, inviting more of him into her. His hips grinding against hers, her spare hand gripping the waistband of his jumpsuit. She was standing on her toes to push her mouth harder against his. His fingers laced into her own, still pinned against the wall. Slowly, his hands both traced down to her face, cradling it between them. Small moans were escaping her throat as the kiss deepened, her fingers tangled into his hair. Slowly, he drew his mouth away from hers, tipping his head down, touching the tip of his nose to her forehead. Elan gently eased her feet back flat on the floor, her eyes still shut. She could feel her lips throbbing slightly in the absence of his pressing against them and she swore she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. A feeling of pleasurable gratification washed over her in a warm wave. She could feel a stiffening bulge between his legs against her stomach. His hands lingered on her face as he tucked his lip behind his teeth, a motion that she'd seen before, but suddenly had found new satisfaction in. 


	10. In which our hero finds something to cele.brate..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ackkkk I wanted two chapters up today. I call a red flag on this migraine for delay of game. Boo. Booooo.  
> (Sidenote: "Satellite" by Guster is definitely my song for these two. It totally fits.)

 

“Shit.” Poe stepped back with his hands raised. “Shit, shit  _ shit _ .”

“Um, thanks?” Elan's bewilderment was plastered on her face.

“I should not have done that.” He leaned forward with his hands against his knees. “Shit. I’m so sorry.”

“Are you serious?” Elan couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She could picture her recollection of the event with Raissa perfectly: _Poe Dameron kissed the shit out of me. Then he apologized for it._

“That was beyond unprofessional of me.”

“Unprofessional?” She scoffed. “Listen to yourself. We just kissed, that’s it.”

“No, Elan, that’s not it.” He crossed over to her, once again taking her face in his hands. “What I’m feeling right now could jeopardize all of this. The Resistance is everything to me, and now you...” He hung his head, guilt hanging over him like a cloud. "I can't fuck this up by doing... this."

She was unsure whether or not to be offended. Was he considering her a distraction or something else? Irritation was now rising under her skin. A lot was riding on her as well. She needed to prove her worth on this mission, especially to herself. 

_ Harrumph.  _ She dragged a mangled desk over, positioning it underneath the vent.

“Woah, what are you doing?” 

Elan climbed on top of the platform she created and looked down at him with indignation. 

“I’m going after what we came out here for. I don’t really care if you approve or not at this point.”

“I told you, you don’t know if it's safe. I don’t want you going in there.”

“And I said I don’t care.” 

“You know, that could be considered insubordination.” 

Elan shrugged. “Then do something about it.”

Poe looked at her with an almost hungry stare. _Don't kiss him. Do not kiss him. Focus, E._ With that, Elan turned on her heels, and placed her hands on the opening of the vent. “Okay, you go this,” she said to herself, preparing to hop inside.

“Wait,” Poe said behind her with an exasperated tone. He was rummaging through the pack he brought and muttering to himself. “Here.” He pulled out a glowrod and powered it on, holding it up to her. 

“Thanks," she replied, halfheartedly. Elan reached for it, but Poe kept a grip on the device. 

“Be careful. I'm serious.” 

She gave a small smile before turning back the vent. 

"You can't get rid of me that easy, Dameron."

Inside, the green glow emitting from the rod helped her to see slightly farther ahead  but there was still a considerable amount of darkness surrounding her. The desk below her wobbled slightly and she felt hands at her waist. 

“I got you,” Poe said quietly in her ear, helping her into the vent. Once she was fully inside, the vent began to narrow slightly as she progressed. The metal was covered in dust and the smell of corrosion was almost overwhelming. 

“You alright?” 

Elan could she the corner of the sack within reach, just a few short meters away.

“Elan?” She could sense the nervousness in his voice. 

“Yeah,” she called back. She was on her hands and knees, just barely able to extend them fully before her back hit the top of the shaft. The dust was yet again invading her nose, she was forced to pull up the neck of the jumpsuit over her mouth. When she put her hand back down, it landed on something damp and caked in matted tufts of hair. Elan shrieked and angled the light downward.

“What, what is it?’

“A dead rat,” she responded with disgust. Grimacing, she pressed forward, edging closer and closer to her destination. When she reached the corner, she exhaled deeply.  _ Please let there be something good, anything. _

The bag itself had been gnawed open and almost completely shredded, likely from one of the rodents currently inhabiting the space. She pulled back the corner of the bag, revealing-

“Holy shit…”

There were about a dozen holobooks and datapods strewn about the duct. Despite the layer of grime and a few chewed up corners, they looked to have minimal damage done to them. Someone must have dropped them down the vent before evacuation. Elan grinned, scooping them together as best she could while holding the glowrod between her teeth. She lifted one of the devices to her ear; a slight hum emitted from it.  _ Holy shit, _ she whispered again to herself. Glancing back up, she realized it would be a challenge wrestling these up the incline. 

“Poe, slide your bag down here!”

Without any hesitation, the canvas satchel came careening down the shaft. Elan caught it with a grunt. She stuffed as many of the machines inside as the bag would accommodate, positioning the remaining devices on what was left of the sack, and began to clamber up the incline. Turning around in the vent was clumsy and awkward, but for once her size proved beneficial.

Elan poked her head out of vent opening, a satisfied smile on her face. She shoved the bag into his arms, which thankfully he caught. Glancing up, he gave her a proud grin as he set down the satchel. 

"C'mon." He reached his arms up to her which she gladly took and he eased her out of the duct. Her navy jumpsuit was spotted with gray patches of dust and cobwebs.  _If the parents could see me now_. She twisted her hair into a loose bun atop her head and reached for the remaining holobooks. If she could restore these back to their functioning state, there was a distinct possibility they could be incredibly significant for the cause, perhaps even locations of other bases and supplies. Poe reached out and smudged a bit of dirt off her cheek. 

"Well, I think this calls for a celebration. "

\---

Back aboard the Lambda, Elan laid out the devices on the large table in the center of the ship. In better light, she discovered they were quite a bit more damaged than she'd originally thought, but still not entirely hopeless and there were enough tools on board to help her at least attempt to restore them. She had to admit, the feeling of being surrounded by the potentially influential machines was exhilarating.  

Poe cleared his throat behind her. She spun around to see the pilot holding up two bottles of liquor. He'd changed out of his jumpsuit and wore a grey cotton shirt with dark olive pants. The outfit was much fitted to his physique than the bulky coveralls and she found her eyes dancing from his head to his. 

"Dobri whiskey. Strong, cheap, and perfect for our little ceremony. Although, I'm not sure you could handle too much of this."

"Bring it on, Dameron," Elan dared. He sat next to her on the couch and held out a small glass to her. After filling them both, nearly to the brim, he angled his to her.

"To the scavenger princess of Denon," he said with a grin, sipping down half his drink.

"To the best pilot in the Resistance. Who also happens to be a damn good kisser." She downed the shot, shuddering, before looking over to him. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off before he could.

"I swear, if you apologize one more time..." 

He held up his hands in defeat, then refilled their glasses. Elan glanced down at the liquid swirling around inside its receptacle. Poe had already taken the second shot and exhaled sharply. He leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes, lacing his fingers behind his head. She watched his stomach rise and fall as he breathed, noticing the outline of the muscles around his hip bones, reminding her of the feeling of his hips grinding against hers. The touch of his tongue, the idea of that stubbled mouth scraping down past her navel kissing as it traveled down every sensitive, willing inch of her skin...  _I will not have drunken, sloppy sex tonight... I will not have drunken, sloppy sex tonight..._

Elan took her shot finally and frowned, shaking her head. She could already feel the liquid sitting in her stomach like a rock and a little buzz was forming in her head. 

"I need to go to bed," she sighed. 

Poe looked over at her and winked.

"Alone." _Don't tempt me, Dameron._

\----

Elan slipped out of her own jumpsuit, shook it out, and watched the cloud of dust waft off the fabric and around the room before dissipating. Her first night aboard the shuttle with just a thin wall of metal separating her from a very poor, slightly inebriated, decision. Poe had taken a third, possibly fourth, shot of the strong liquor and she had heard him shuffle to his own bunk and collapse on the bed.  

She slid under the covers, the thin blanket doing little to shield her from the slight draft flowing through the vessel. Her head was swimming with the thought of that kiss. She'd had lovers in the past, some quite enjoyable, but none of them has ever kissed her like that. There was a hunger, a fire behind it. Something that left her greedy for me. She left her hand travel downward to the hem of her underwear. _I said no sex, but I never said no orgasm._ She bit her thumb. It must be the liquor getting to her. She hadn't even thought about touching herself since she was a teenager, there had been no need for it with the willing suitors she'd encountered over the years. As if by its own accord, her hand slipped down further, caressing her soft folds, surprised at the wetness that greeted her. She began to rub the tender area softly and knew this would do little to appease her deep frustration, but it would be more immediately rewarding that hoping for a racy dream or two. It would certainly stop her from climbing in Poe's bed and having a night of unbridled, messy sex, potentially thwarting the entire mission. Her pace quickened as she thought of his hands pinning hers above her head, hopeless to his advances. His eager lips following the curve of her neck down to her chest, moaning underneath the weight of his body. Would he be a careful, cautious lover, one who takes care to attend to her most sensitive, receptive skin? Or would he tie her down and fuck her until she begged for more? She bit her lip, her body taking over in carnal delight. Her legs clamped against her hand as she came, gasping into her pillow. Poe snored from the other side of the wall, clueless to her wanton deeds. Elan held her pillow over her face as her breathing slowly returned to normal. Poe Dameron might have just gotten under her skin entirely, heaven knows he'd definitely invaded her mind. _This is certainly going to be an interesting week..._

 


	11. In which our hero has some alone time of his own...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technically Chapter 10.5  
> Taking place at the same time as the end of the previous chapter. From Poe's bunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you were curious as to what our favorite pilot was up to...

Poe didn’t know what he was thinking swiping the liquor in the first place, considering his last encounter with Elan involving alcohol did not exactly end favorably for either of them, but he had thought of this little excursion as a break from the nonstop chaos of late. Elan had already gone to bed, something he should consider doing as well, but his body felt restless. He risked taking two more shots of the bitter liquor before crashing in his own bunk. Poe shifted his weight back and forth under the covers. His mind was racing, something he’d gotten used to on missions past, but this was different. The feeling of her skin as he touched her was so fresh in his mind it was almost more intoxicating than the liquor itself. The taste of her on his lips felt like a venom seeping into his very being. He rubbed his eyes, trying his hardest to convince himself the last thing he needed to do was climb in bed with her.  _ You know she’d probably punch you in the mouth, Dameron.  _ Somehow, even the threat of possible physical violence didn’t put his mind at ease. He sighed, thumbing at the waistband of his pants. He closed his eyes and thought of how small her body felt against his, the way her fingers laced with his own so effortlessly. _ Why did you have to go and kiss her? You’re going to fuck this up. You’re on a mission. Focus.  _ As if rebelling against the intelligent part of his brain, he could feel himself hardening at the thought of her. He groaned, feeling the pressure building under the unforgiving fabric.

Slowly, his slid his hand underneath the cloth and grasped himself gently, shocked at the stiffness that welcomed him. _This is an exercise in self-control, Dameron._ He pictured her slender body, dripping wet, completely exposed, how she stood there, her normally light locks darkened by the water, her eyes locked on his. His hand started to quicken its pace as sweat began dotting his brow. He thought about how his idiotic passion took over as he felt her in his arms, her body pressed against his.  _ She was covered in dirt, you dumbass. Give a girl some warning next time. _ She had accepted his kiss, more than willingly, opening herself to him. And that  _ moaning _ . Poe bit his lip as he began to writhe his hips with the motion of his hand. He recalled the way her brow furrowed at him when they first met, the spark behind her hazel eyes dumbing him down even then. If she had that much fire when she was mad, what was she like in bed? He began to pulse his hand up and down his length rapidly, almost bringing him to the brink instantly. The feeling of her tongue against his, her hands grasping at him desperately. He couldn't take it anymore, ecstasy assuming control of his body. He came forcefully, spilling over his hand and onto his pants. He was panting and cursing under his breath between gasps. Without thinking, a satisfied moan escaped his lips. He quickly tried to conceal it by letting out a sound somewhere between a snort and a snore that he hoped Elan didn't hear, but knowing his luck, most likely did.   _Fuck_. He waited a few minutes, in case she decided to investigate the bizarre noise that had erupted from his bunk before awkwardly ambling to the refresher to clean himself up. _This is certainly going to be an interesting week..._


	12. In which our hero gets to play hero...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little more on the sweet side to start. (Something tells me Poe could probably sleep through anything. Especially after... that.) I'm also struggling with not having them make out constantly. Sigh. Responsibilities.

Elan awoke with a jolt to a scraping sound against the wall of her bunk. She sat up in bed, trying not to panic. Smugglers? The First Order? She placed her ear to the wall, listening carefully. A loud tapping noise almost sent her leaping out of bed. Wrapping the blanket tightly around her, Elan crept out into the main compartment. The darkness of the vessel made it nearly impossible to see but she could make out the BB-8’s familiar racket.

“Pssht!”

The droid turned to her eagerly.

“Did you hear that?”

BB-8 rotated its head, whistling a confused tone, before rolling towards the large window in front of the shuttle. As if on cue, the tapping sound rattled through the metal hull again. Elan darted to Poe’s bunk, shaking him awake.

“Poe! Wake the hell up!”

The pilot sat up half-awake, reaching immediately for the blaster beside the bed.

“W-what? What’s wrong?” His hair was tousled and he kept one eye squinted shut.

“There’s something outside,” she whispered harshly. Poe listened to the silence carefully.

“You were dreaming, Elan. Go back to bed.” Poe dropped his head back against the pillow. Elan smacked him on the arm.

“Ow! What the hell?”

“I’m serious. BB-8 heard it too.”

Poe began to protest, but he still pulled back the covers and rose out of bed.

“Elan, look we’re in the middle of the woods. It’s probably just birds. There’s a shit load of nocturnal creatures out here.”

“What if it isn’t?” she insisted.

Poe gave her an irritated, yet still somewhat sympathetic look but Elan found herself suddenly feeling rather foolish. She’d grown accustomed to the slight hum of the old wiring in her bunk on D’Qar and before that the constant stream of ships outside her window would lull her to sleep back on Denon. It occurred to her she had never slept in silence before.

BB-8 whizzed up to her and angled his head between her and Poe. Poe smiled down at the droid, who gave a chipper sound in response. Elan still had her blanket wrapped around her tightly, her bare feet becoming colder by the second on the metal floor. She felt like a child.

“I’m sorry I woke you up,” she said quietly. _Way to be ridiculous, E_. Poe reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, making Elan jump slightly. To her surprise, he had a gentle smile on his face.

“Come here.” He took her hand and lead her to the window near the cockpit. He stood behind her, his hands sitting on her shoulders. “Ah. Look,” he ushered outside. Elan squinted in the dimness of the night.

“What am I looking at?”

Poe pointed towards the steeply angled wing of the shuttle. There were two large orange birds resting on the metal structure, one scaping its beak against it.

“Our culprits. Whisper Birds. We had them back on Yavin. A flock of ‘em could fly overhead and you wouldn’t even hear them. They have a beautiful song though.”

“I didn’t know you used words like ‘beautiful’.”

Poe rested his head against the top of hers.

“And I didn’t know you were such a wimp.” Poe ducked, missing her slugging him by a few inches.

“Feel better?”

Elan nodded warily. Poe shot her an unconvinced look.

“It’s just so... quiet,” she replied timidly.

“Be glad we don’t have piranha beetles out here. You can hear them chowing down a few clicks away. They can strip the flesh off a runyip in- that’s not helping is it?”

Elan shook her with a sneer.

“Go back to bed. I’ll keep watch out here.”

“No, don’t worry about it. It was stupid.”

He was already pulling a chair closer to her bunk, ignoring her protests.

“Go to bed. The princess needs her beauty rest.”

“Thanks, Poe.” She smiled at him. An honest smile. When he returned it, she had to resist the urge to kiss him. She slunk back to her bed, hearing Poe humming to himself as he propped up his feet on the chair next to him. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

\------

When she awoke, Elan could smell the lingering scent of sweat on her skin as a twinge of embarrassment washed over her. Swinging her legs over the side of the mattress, she stood up and stretched with a groan, deciding the first order of business was a good shower. _Don’t forget your clothes this time, you dope._

Stepping outside her bunk, the first thing she was was Poe, still asleep in the chair. He must have dozed off shortly after she dragged him out of bed to fend off the monsters in the dark. His head was tilted to the side at what looked like an incredibly uncomfortable angle. Elan grinned and crept over to him. She brushed a stray strand of hair off of his forehead and placed a gentle kiss on the newly exposed area. Almost instantly, his eyes fluttered open, looking incredibly confused to see her before him. He sat up straight in his chair and winced, stiffly moving his neck back to its normal position.

“Fuck. What time is it?” He rubbed his shoulder roughly.

“It's morning. You fell asleep out here, protecting me from the creatures of the night.” She put on her best damsel in distress voice. “Have sweet dreams?”

Poe sat up with a sheepish expression. “Uh, yeah. They were alright. Yours?”

 _Fuck_ . “Fine.” She dropped her eyes, trying to conceal her guilt. _I absolutely did not have completely inappropriate thoughts about you for the majority of the evening._ That familiar pull below her navel occurred yet again, her lips almost burning at the thought of the kiss.

There was something about his disheveled appearance, still groggy from sleep, that created an evocative sensation. The greedy hunger to be with him was almost visceral. Elan chewed the inside of her lip. _Don’t do it. Don’t do it…_

She dared a step towards him, angling his head towards her face with her hand under his chin. Looking down into his eyes, she pressed her lips against his. Her intent was to do so with trepidation to give him a chance to break the contact, but instead she found herself moving against him excitedly. To her slight dismay, and pleasure, he pulled her onto his lap, returning the kiss with fervor. Her legs on either side of him, Poe gripped her waist as she locked her fingers behind his neck. His hands explored up her back and she could feel the warmth of his hands easily, the cloth of the the tunic being much thinner than that of the bulky jumpsuit. The intensity was building as he positioned his hands on her hips, guiding her closer against him. His lips trailed down her chin and to the crook of her neck, electrifying the skin on contact. Elan moaned, the desire in her raising the heat in her body to almost dangerous levels. He must sensed the fever under her skin, as he began to slow his pace down to an almost torturous speed. Gripping his hair, she tipped his head back to face her. He looked almost helpless underneath her, something Elan found a satisfaction in. Just as she was lowering her lips to his again, a rapid, abrasive beeping began to emit from the pilot station. Poe dropped his head against the back of the headrest.

“That’s the transceiver,” Poe groaned in an aggravated tone. “Um…” he ushered to Elan, still straddled over his lap. With (half) mocked annoyance, she swung her leg over him and took the empty seat next to him. He rushed to the console, clearing his throat harshly several times before speaking.

“Dameron.”

“Poe, it's Raissa. We’ve picked up some static on the comms, you two alright?”

“Yeah, uh, just fine. Thanks for checking in.”

“Status update to relay to the General?”

Poe scratched his head, eyeing the towering pile of holobooks, untouched since the previous evening.

“Tell her the recon was successful. We’re in the process of evaluating the data now. Will report back with definite findings soon.”

“Roger, Dameron. You're our best pilot, we need you here ASAP.” She lowered her voice. “Elan still alive?”

Poe glanced over at her and bit his lip. “Yeah, she’s fine. Gotta keep a close eye on her though.” Elan shot him a threatening glance. _Don't say a word..._

“Keep her safe, Dameron. Raissa out.”

He sighed loudly, leaning his knuckles against the station. Even from her spot in the center of the shuttle, his body looked tense. As she stood and crossed to him, and the tension in his body was marked equally on his face. She moved to place her hand on his shoulder but thought better of it, fearing the rejection.

"Anyone ever tell you you're a _serious_ distraction, Elan?" There was a joking tone to his voice, but she knew better.

"I've never been in the position to distract before." Her eyes fell to the floor.

"We have a job to do. _I_ have a job to do. They're trusting me." His eyes were still fixed on the console with an almost bitter expression on his face. "We need to get to work."


	13. In which our hero falls into a tight spot...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elan decides to re-investigate the base for more intel, leading to some unexpected danger and a frightening reminder of Poe's military background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY YOU GUYS. Having a job that works with people means germs galore and apparently I have no immune system. I plan to have another chapter up soon for you guys! Thank you all for reading and the awesome feedback<3

Elan struggled with the idea of asking Poe what the matter was and if she should be taking any of his reactions personally or not, but she thought better of it. Poe had stalked off again on a “patrol”, which Elan had interpreted as putting enough distance between them as possible. She knew a fatal flaw of her character was to act on impulse, perhaps her decision to practically throw herself at him just hours before was perhaps not in either of their best interest. She knew very well they were there for the good of The Resistance; her own selfish reasoning was to prove she wasn’t entirely useless. Luckily, she had learned from her mentor enough about how holobooks function that she would be able to at least attempt to resuscitate the ones she had recovered. 

With tools and gadgets scattering around her, Elan began to dissect the devices to try and bring life into them again. Her tongue was positioned in the corner of her mouth as she fiddled with the aggravatingly small screws, willing herself not to throw the infernal thing across the shuttle. She managed to remove the backing and was immediately greeted by a plethora of dirt and clumps of dust, which was easy enough to clean. Once the pieces were reattached with minimal bloodlust and frustration, the familiar blue glow emitted from holobook as words began to form on the screen. 

“It’s a diary…” Elan whispered to herself, with a small smile. 

The text was written by a controller in charge of sending pilots coordinates and was dated just a few days before the base was reportedly abandoned. Not only where there personal datalogs filled with mission notes and debriefing, but the author had listed locations of other caches and base locations as well. Elan quickly scanned through the text, getting only halfway into it before the words became jumbled and blocked out, its data corrupted. 

She quickly reached for the next device, only to find a deep crack revealing a heavy level of corrosion seeping out of it she hadn’t noticed initially. Cursing under her breath, she went from holobook to holobook, attempting to chance upon another that worked. Another she managed to power on, but it quickly began to sporadically flash chunks of garbled text. With a heavy sigh, she slumped in her chair, halfheartedly picking up the only functioning holobook again. She skimmed the information, most of it in jargon she didn’t understand, but her eyes landed on a chunk of text of the author describing a hidden panel located in the floor of their desk. Elan sat up quickly. If the controller had enough foresight to hide these documents in the brink of a siege, perhaps she’d simply overlooked something of importance. With a sudden surge of excitement, she set out to the base yet again, stuffing the holobook in her pack.

There was no sign of Poe or the little droid when she stepped out of the shuttle, much to her curiosity, but she figured there were only the two logical places she would be if for some reason he was looking for her. Once inside, the stark desolation of the structure was again overwhelming; it was almost impossible to envision the place as once bustling with commanders and officers. Elan scanned the floor carefully for evidence of the hidden panel, but still wound up on her hands and knees, cautiously rapping her knuckles against the concrete, listening for signs of hollowness. It wasn’t but minutes after she began her wild hunt, that she heard the sound of footsteps. As she was about to call out to Poe, explaining why she was routing around on the floor, but before she could, unfamiliar voices, and even more concerning, unfamiliar language filled the room. Elan ducked behind the overturned desk nearest to her; a feeling of panic quickly overcoming her. There was a loud clatter, likely the sound of one of the intruders kicking over a chunk of rubble. The footfalls edged closer as Elan dared to glance around the corner. Four men were casing the room, one Elan recognized as a Rodian, two humans, and one with his face covered with a canvas hood and goggles. Whether they were smugglers or scavengers, she wasn’t certain, and she wasn’t too keen to find out. 

All the men had blasters at the ready and they upturned tables and chairs. One shot a round at a metal bin causing a clumsy ricochet and uproarious laughter. Elan half expected the shot to be aimed at her and she had to clamp her hand over her mouth to stop herself from letting out a loud yelp. Even if she had some means of defending herself, it would be useless against four armed adversaries. Although she was hidden from view at present, it wouldn’t be long before they made their way to her position. There was an open doorway to her left, but it would mean darting across an open area in full view of the men. Suddenly, a hand gripped across her mouth muffling her immediate scream. She clawed at it in protest.

“Shh, shh, it’s me.” Poe. He must have heard the blaster fire. He had his own weapon in his hand at the ready. “Don’t make a sound,” he whispered into her ear as he slowly removed his hand from her face. “The static on the comm- smugglers.”

His eyes were focused as he eyed the room and its inhabitants. He turned to her with a fierce intensity branded across his face she had not yet encountered. “When I tell you to run, sprint for door, I’ll keep you covered. Stay low. Understand?” 

Elan nodded, biting her lip hard. They must had heard their whispered voices, a cry came from across the room and a deafening clang rang out as a shot hit the metal frame of the desk, just missing both of their faces. Poe pulled her behind him quickly as he fired back. 

“Stay down!” He commanded. Elan had to cover her ears with her hands as the rapid blaster fire shots rang out. A random bolt ricocheted off the floor barely a meter away from her position, cutting right through the floor. No, not through the floor- through the  _ panel _ . Elan could see several datapads hidden underneath the newly exposed floor. She looked up just as Poe fired a blast that cut straight through the Rodian’s neck, immediately he collapsed onto the floor, unmoving. She flinched at the brutality, but even more so at the audacity of one of the other men grabbing his fallen companion’s gun, yanking it out of his hand like his death meant nothing. Poe gripped her shoulder tightly, ducking down to avoid the fire.

“When I take out another one, you run, you understand? Get yourself back to the shuttle. Lock the access and if I’m not back soon, you radio over the comm and tell Base what happened. They’ll remotely activate autopilot. Keep your head down, you hear me?” 

“I can’t just leave you here-”

“Dammit, Elan, you can and you will. I mean it.” 

She glanced over her shoulder at the datalogs- the recovery could be the entire reason for the mission’s success.  _ You’ll get yourself killed _ . Poe shook her harshly, bringing her face close to his.

“Listen to me, when I tell you, you  _ run _ .” He turned back, firing rapid shots over the desk, which was quickly becoming riddled with deep dents and holes. It would not continue to hold up to much more blaster fire.

Another shot from Poe hit the taller of the men in the shoulder and he stumbled back, dropping his blaster rifle in the process. One of the others was distracted by the sight and turned his back, giving Elan a chance for a split second decision. She sprinted for the datapads, hearing Poe yelling frantically behind her, just barely having enough space to reach into the crevice and scoop out the equipment.. One of the attackers spotted her, sending a spray of fire over her head, she barely had enough time to dive behind an overturned shelf before the shots landed inches above her head. Gripping the devices tightly, she scanned the distance between the front exit and Poe. He was still firing at the three remaining men, but continued to flick his eyes toward her. _ If one of these smugglers doesn’t kill you, he definitely will… _ Elan looked back toward the exit as the previously injured man took another shot to the head, this time putting him down. She looked over at Poe, reloading his blaster before looking over to her. 

“Head for the shuttle!” He shouted to her. She hesitated, but he motioned towards the door. “Go!” 

With a sharp exhale, she sprinted towards the door, the few meters feeling like miles as she tried to keep her head down and away from the rapid fire. The smell of hot metal and burning debris was so strong it felt like it was asphyxiating her, but Elan tried her best to fight through it. Once out in the open, the open field felt like a shooting range. She had no way of knowing if there were more smugglers waiting to attack and the sounds of the blaster fire echoed in the courtyard. Adrenaline still coursing through her, she continued into the woods, clutching her pack to her chest. The forest felt more claustrophobic than it had before and she struggled to get her bearings. The sound of blaster fire reached her ears again, this time sounding much closer. Elan trekked forward, keeping close to the trees, knowing the shuttle couldn't be much farther. 

The familiarity of her surroundings allowed for a small amount of relief to wash over her as she could just make out the white wing tip of the shuttle. She had never been so happy to see a craft in her life. Before she could bask in the feeling, a beam of blaster fire went coursing right above her shoulder. Elan ducked down, but tripped over a fallen branch behind her, landing on her back. _Shit shit shit._ Stepping out from the trees she was facing was one of the smugglers from the base, a large burn on his shoulder from where Poe had shot him. _Poe_. A sickening feeling arose in her stomach and she attempted to crawl backwards on her hands. The man reached down, grabbing her by the neck of her shirt and pulled her up roughly. Elan gasped as her feet lifted off the ground, his grip causing her to struggle for breath. The man fired the blaster above her head, then pressed the barrel against her shoulder, immediately burning through the thin fabric. Elan screamed as the blazing metal searing against her skin. She tried in vain to kick her feet against her opponent, but her strength was quickly giving out. Suddenly, the man's head snapped forward, dropping her to the ground and falling forward. Poe stood behind him, returning his blaster to his side. The man was quickly reviving from the blow to the head and reached for his own weapon. Poe wrestled the blaster away from him, pressing his own against the attacker's head. Elan screamed as Poe pulled the trigger. He turned to her, breathing heavily. Elan had tears welling in her eyes, the pain from the burn on her arm began to reach excruciating levels. The image was fresh in her head, she felt nauseous as she wobbled on her feet. The most violence she had ever encountered was a brawl between two politicians during a heated debate during a hearing. _This is a war_ , she reminded herself. But these men weren't soldiers, they likely weren't even aware of their presence at all. She couldn't help but feel they were simply innocent bystanders.

Poe eased himself to his feet, panting, and held his hand out to her. Elan flinched. 

"Elan, come on, we need to move." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. He winced as noticed her wound. Elan stood there, dazed, the images swimming in her had like a walking nightmare. "Elan," he repeated. "Hey." He rested his hand on her face, scowling as she flinched again at this touch, but he didn't pull away. "You're okay. I've got you. But we need to get to safety, alright?" She nodded hesitantly, gripping his hand tightly as she followed him towards the shuttle.   

 


	14. In which our hero shoots out of trouble...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Elan continue to discover that smugglers do not take kindly to hostility and Elan is reminded of the consequences of her impulses.

“Are there more?” Elan asked pensively. She was following close on Poe’s heals, still gripping onto his hand as they made their way to the shuttle.

“Could be.” He seemed to be on autopilot himself, his eyes constantly darting across their surroundings, and the blaster aimed ahead. A familiar whirring sound echoed ahead as BB-8 came rolling towards them, letting out a cacophony of beeps and chirps. Whatever was being communicated, Poe listened intently, then grabbed Elan’s arm propelling her forward.

“We need to move,  _ now _ .” 

Moving in at a full sprint, Elan had to carefully watch her footing as they coursed through the dense wood towards the shuttle. She could hear harsh voices calling out in their unfamiliar tongue, but was unable to trace their source as the disorienting echoes bounced off the trees. A spray of blaster fire rang out, hitting the ground in front of her as Poe grabbed the collar of her shirt, shoving her to the ground. Her pack slid off her shoulder, heavier now with the datapads, and grazed her wound. She hissed at the contact and cursed quietly, digging the heel of her boot into the ground. The voices became louder, at least three or four different ones that Elan could make out, and she feared they were bearing surrounded.

“BB-8, can you get Elan to the shuttle? I’ll keep them busy. Take her away from the fire, if I’m not back soon, set the autopilot to the D-Qar base, alright?”

The droid let out a distressed sound, then pivoted its head towards her. 

“Poe-”

He reached for her face, a dark intensity in his eyes.

“That’s an  _ order _ , Elan.” 

Fighting back her emotions, she agreed. Slinging her pack over her unwounded shoulder, she set out after the droid, staying as low and close to the trees as possible. 

 

The farther the two traveled, the concentration of shots became more and more rapid. Fear swept over her, but not for her own safety. She stopped in her tracks, the droid turning to her and chirping energetically as if urging her to continue. Ahead of them, she could see the shuttle just meters away. Elan looked over her shoulder in the direction of Poe’s last position. She could see the beams from the fire cutting through the trees like a knife. BB-8 butted against her leg. _We’re on a mission,_ she could hear Poe’s voice in her head clearly. She had already disobeyed once to retrieve the datalogs, nearly getting herself blow away in the process. The intel would be no good to the Resistance if they both wound up dead. Chewing the inside of her lip, she continued towards the shuttle. 

A deafening crack resounded through the grove and Elan spun around to see a heavily damaged tree, smoldering and searing, crash down to the forest floor. The was a clamoring sound of raised voices and cheering that rose out of the silence. She and BB-8 were nearly at the shuttle’s access ramp, within minutes they could be off this miserable planet and returning to the comforts and (assumed) safety of the base. With or without Poe, and at this point the latter seemed more likely. Elan groaned as she argued with herself.  _ You could return with the documents, alone, potentially contributing immeasurably important data to the Resistance, or you could run back to that damned pilot, potentially getting yourself shot to hell, dying horribly in a bleak, desolate forest planet and no one would even know.  _ The answer should have been glaringly obvious. Elan bent down to the droid, shrugging the precious cargo off her shoulder and laying it down beside her. 

“Am I crazy?” 

BB-8 chirped blankly in response.

_ Shit _ .

“I’ll be back. Stay here.” 

Ignoring the protesting droid, Elan sprinted towards Poe’s location, keeping an eye out for the sounds of the assailants. When she neared the downed tree, she carefully crept down beside it. It was within a few feet of where she’d separated from him, but there was no sign of him now. She could hear the men arguing closeby, hoping that Poe had managed some daring escape. How the hell was she supposed to find him and not get shot in the process? Elan cursed to herself again, a prominent habit of late, and continued along the tree, for once being grateful for her slight size. 

Just ahead of the her was the large boulder she recognized from her ill-fated journey the first day they landed. There was a crevice near its base, just large enough for a person to take refuge. She dared forward, stepping out from her cover and jogging over to the next barrier, which happened to be a tree hardly wider than herself. Standing with her back against it, she squinted into the darkness of the fissure. Her heart leapt into her throat; inside was Poe, one leg outstretched in front of him, obviously injured, a pained grimace on his face, holding his blaster to his chest. Somehow, his eyes found hers and immediately he motioned her away.  _ Screw you, Dameron. I came this far. I’m not leaving now. _ In the clearing to her right, there was the battered, lifeless body of a fallen smuggler. Elan gulped at the sight but noticed that on his belt was a small pistol. She looked above it and saw two of the men, their backs toward her.  _ If I could just… _ She looked back to Poe, still ushering to the direction of the ship, most likely uttering a few choice phrases in frustration to himself. Elan inched forward just out of her cover, stretching her arm towards the pistol as far as its length would allow. Her eyes remained fixed on the two men, praying to whatever deity was listening that their backs would remaining turned. Her fingers reached the pistol, but it was still securely fastening in its holster. She struggled to release it which resulted in her creeping forward more, closer to the adversaries. 

_ Come on, you shitty piece of- _

She managed to pry the weapon out of its confines, but in doing so, inadvertently pulled the trigger. The shot landed directly behind the foot of one of the men, causing him to jump and turn quickly, firing towards her. Luckily, the shots were aimed at face level and her close proximity to the ground meant she could easily dodge the fire. She aimed her own confiscated weapon at the man and fired two shots; one landed against his crotch, the other in his upper chest. He collapsed to the ground, but still appeared to be breathing. His partner scrambled for cover as she made a mad dash towards Poe. She scurried into the hiding spot beside him, taking care not to hit his injured leg.

“What the  _ hell _ are you thinking?!” He spat, nearly shoving her out of the space.

“I’m  _ thinking  _ I’m trying to save you, so shut up and accept it.”

“If  _ you _ hadn’t completely disobeyed-”

“ _ Now?  _ Really?” 

Poe reached forward, snatching the pistol from her hands and turning the dial on the side.

“Might do more damage if you took it off ‘stun’, _princess_.”

Elan snatched the weapon back with an indignant glare. Her eyes drifted down to his leg. The wound looked painful. 

“Can you walk?”

Poe frowned down at his leg. There was a deep gash above his knee, but the bleeding had stopped. 

“I can try.” He glanced back at the remaining foe, who was seemingly perplexed as to why his companion lay out cold beside him. 

“Here,” Elan flopped his arm over her shoulders, helping him to his feet. In doing so, she unintentionally drove his head against the top of the mossy crevice with an audible  _ thunk _ .  Poe cursed loudly. 

“I’d be better off with the blaster-toting smugglers,” he expressed under his breath.  _ If I wasn’t immediately afraid for my life, I’d shoot you myself for that.  _

The smuggler was now taking cover behind the fallen tree, thankfully aiming in the opposite direction they were heading. Poe was limping fairly harshly, but was able to keep up with Elan’s pace as they trudged towards the shuttle.

“There’s another group of them, they came out of a 578-R space transport,” he wheezed between gasps. “I lost sight of them.” 

As they continued through the woods, Elan’s knees began feeling the strain of half-carrying Poe and navigating across the uneven terrain. Once the Lambda was in view, they both sped up their pace immediately. BB-8 whizzed up to them, again with a loud stream of whistles and beeps. From behind them, the raised voices of their attackers, sprung up again this time not firing at them, but at the shuttle.

“Shit!” Poe grabbed Elan and yelled at the droid to move. 

It only took about a dozen shots for the left engine of the shuttle to smoke, letting out disheartening mechanical grinding sound. The group of men edged closer, firing multiple rounds at the Lambda, each one cutting into the metal, leaving a burning chasms in its hull. Remembering the pack she’d left near the access ramp, Elan shook herself out of Poe’s grasp and darted towards the bag. The strap off the pack was just barely in her hands before black smoke began billowing out of the engine just a few yards away. Poe managed to hobble to her and grabbed her arm, the one with the still agonizing wound, and pushed her behind a large stone to shield them from the imminent blast. The engine erupted into flames and rapidly blew apart from the frame of the shuttle, causing molten bits of debris to scatter towards them. 

“Shit, Poe, what are we going to do?” Elan urged desperately. “How the hell are we going to get back?”

Poe muttered to himself as he evaluated their options. He looked up with an inspirited expression.

“Their transport. Its close, we can commandeer it.”

“‘ _ Commandeer _ ’? A smuggler’s ship?”

“It’s the only choice we have. They’ll probably be scavenging the shuttle for parts, it’ll keep them busy for a while.” 

As if on cue, the men began charging the still-smoldering vessel, losing interest in them entirely. Helping Poe to his feet again, they began making their way to the transport, keeping a careful watch for other threats that were still likely lurking in the woods. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks to my lovely readers<3 Just as a PSA, I'm having much too much fun writing the next chapter >:) Laa-de-daaaa...


	15. In which our hero realizes his priorities...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeekkkkk I'm so sorry for making my lovelies wait. I'm told there's a special place in hell for those who don't update their fanfics relatively frequently ;_;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Dear diary: Jackpot."
> 
>  
> 
> PS: Starting "Glory Box" by Portishead when they board the transport oddly lines up with... plot points. Just a PSA.

The two reached the transport without incident, but Poe had warned her on the journey that there were likely multiple scouts that stayed behind to watch after the vessel.

“Oh no, we are _not_ taking _that_ ,” Elan scoffed as she dropped the bag to her feet. Her arm was throbbing from the wound. She poked at the swollen flesh tenderly.

The dilapidated transport had multiple obviously shoddily repaired sections and several feet of rusted metal, somewhat blending into its burnt orange paint job.

“It's our only option," Poe retorted. "You shouldn’t complain since _you’re_ the reason we’re in this mess.”

“Oh, real mature, Dameron. Can you fly this hunk of junk?” Elan rolled her eyes. 

“I can fly-”

“ _Anything_ , right. I remember.” Elan rolled her eyes as Poe headed for the boarding hatch, BB-8 following closely behind. With the clatter of the ramp being lowered, Elan was positive any smugglers in the area would come running. Nearly a fourth of the way down, the rusted metal creaked and froze in place. Poe tried to awkwardly grab the hatch to pull it downward but his wounded leg prevented him from getting the leverage he needed.

“Elan, get over here. Make yourself useful.”

“You’re grumpy when you’re injured, Dameron.”

He positioned his hand as a step for her, which she placed her foot down harshly upon. He lifted her up briskly, Elan almost losing her balance in the process, but Poe steadied his grasp before she could topple over. She was able to work her arms onto the platform but the lesion meant only one arm could support her weight as she attempted to climb upwards.

“Get me up higher, I can’t make it.”

“This is as high as I can get you, princess. Put some effort into it.” He was able to get her up an inch or two higher, not the help she was hoping for. The snark was certainly not helping. She gritted her teeth as she pulled herself up on the platform.

“There should be a crank to your left. These rust buckets always have a back-up ramp control,” Poe called up. “But hurry it up, we got company coming.”

Sure enough, the control was next to the hatch, but Elan struggled to pull the lever to its desired position.

“Shit, it’s stuck!” She positioned her foot on the side of the switch, pulling with all her body weight. The lever didn’t budge.

 _"_ Well I can’t get up there without it, so unless you want to be the pilot of this _‘hunk of junk’_ , then you’re going to have to.”

 _Oh, fuck you very much, Dameron._   With one last-ditch effort, Elan yanked the lever with her remaining strength, wincing through the pain radiating from her arm. The rod flung forward, taking her with it, as the access hatch screeched down to the forest floor with a loud thud, the corner of which narrowly missed Poe, who had been looking out towards the treeline.

“Heads up,” Elan yelled down diffidently. Both he and the droid scaled the ramp, but before Poe reached the inside of the transport, sparks flew around his feet as blaster fire cascaded into the compartment.

“Get up to the bridge, BB-8 can import the coordinates for D’Qar. I’ll hold them off as best I can. We won’t get very far with these guys on our heels.”

“Wait, I need the pack!” Elan shouted.

“Elan, leave it.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her farther into the ship.

“We’re on a _mission_ remember?” She shook off his hand and sprinted down the ramp, ignoring his orders. The bag was just ahead, directly between her and the assailants. Poe had followed her, firing blasts toward the group of nearly a dozen men who had come out of the woods. Elan was able to slide her hand around the shoulder strap of the pack but not before a shot tore through the canvas, nearly taking her fingers with it. Poe must have seen this occur, as he rushed to her position and pulled her behind him.

“Into the transport, _now_!” he shouted over his shoulder as he continued to return fire. A few shots were ricocheting into the cabin and landing against the stacks and piles of miscellaneous cargo littering the room.

“Get that ramp shut!” Poe shouted again. Elan pushed her weight against the lever, letting out a frightened screech when a shot landed inches away from her face. The lever refused to budge again. Poe looked over to see her struggle, pushing her back and yanking the rod downward, causing the ramp to finally begin to lift.

“We need to get off the ground.” Poe rushed to the stairs leading to the upper deck. Elan ducked behind a jumbled mess of scrap metal as several of the men advanced closer. She feared they may attempt to board the vessel, but the ramp was able to close, separating her from the combatants. The engines on either side of the transport roared to life, shaking the compartment violently as she felt the craft rise from the ground. The vessel itself was shoddily built and the owners had put in a few customizations of their own, resulting in a hodgepodge of junky additions to the already rickety transport. The higher it rose, the whiter Elan’s knuckles became against the metal she’d braced herself against. She had to clamp her eyes closed although the lower level had no windows to the outside world. The vibration was gut-wrenching as the transport lurched upwards as Poe attempted to kept the vessel steady. If she ventured to the upper deck, it was likely to be safer, certainly more steady and the promise of actual seating was tempting, but the thought of trying to meander through the compartment and try to safely make her way up the ladder caused her stomach to churn.

The vessel began to slow, Elan guessed it had reached the outer atmosphere enough to set on autopilot. She stood up carefully, her legs still wobbling from nerves, just as she heard Poe heading down the ladder. He skipped the last few rungs, hopping down and stomping towards her. Elan was preparing to commend him on his flying ability, but before she could, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him, shaking her roughly.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” He shouted at her.

Elan stammered, unsure of how to respond.

“Not counting the _repeated_ insubordination and deliberately putting yourself in the line of fire multiple times, but you could’ve gotten us _both_ killed. You are a civilian, Elan," he spat. "When I give you an order you _take_ _it_.” His tone was harsher than she’d ever heard it before. She could see the anger behind his eyes.

“ _You’re_ the one who kept harping on the mission. I was trying to do my job,” she retorted, fighting against the anger in her chest. _Who the hell do you think you are?_

“My mission is to keep you safe. You _repeatedly_ jeopardized that. Almost deliberately.” His grip on her shoulders tightened, causing her to wince slightly. Her eyes turned to the pack on the ground, the singed edges around the tear from the blaster fire more apparent in the harsh cabin lighting.

“Did you even think what I would do if you’d gotten yourself killed?”

“But I- we- completed the mission-”

“Fuck the mission.” He pulled her to him, firmly pressing his lips against hers. He pinned her arms against the cargo containers behind her, her back pressing against the box. Elan let his tongue explore her mouth, holding her body against his. This kiss was more intense than their previous encounters; a desperation evident behind the motion. She pulled her arms away from his grasp, gripping the sides of his face, and drawing him closer to her. His hands fell to her waist, pulling her hips against his and running a hand down the side of her thigh and resting it on top of her rear. Poe’s tongue ran across her lip as she fingered the collar of jumpsuit. Taking the hint, he undid the fastening of the garment, shrugging the top half of it down to his hips. The thin shirt he wore underneath hugged the flesh beneath it tightly. Elan ran her hand down his chest, feeling the muscle tone of the skin she’d been so curious for. Poe’s mouth moved to her neck, nipping and gently sucking as he lips trailed along the line of the her throat. Elan bit her lip as she lowered her hand to his crotch, already hardened and straining against the fabric.

Poe began to lift the hem of her tunic and traced his fingers along the bare skin of her stomach. She nearly jumped at the contact, her body already feeling sensitive to the electricity of his touch. He lifted her top higher, both hands exploring the new territory of her body, the juxtaposition of the heat from his hand and the cold metal of the container against her back was creating a near overload of her senses. He pulled her tunic over her head, her blonde locks falling to her shoulders. He tangled his finger in her hair close to the scalp, tipping her head back, forcing her eyes to meet his. His hand slid beneath the waistband of her leggings, effortlessly gliding down to her wet welcoming flesh. Elan let out a moan as he twirled his finger, already coated with her moistness, around the soft bud between her folds. _Fuck_. She dared to keep her eyes locked with his; his eyes were almost ravenous, his mouth slightly agape. He watched her face intently as his continued to stroke his fingers against the susceptible skin, her body betraying her self control as a feverish warmth crept up her neck, flushing her cheeks and ears. Her hips bucked against his fingers, her hands clutched his shoulders, her chest rising and falling rapidly as her breath quickened. As she was nearing her peak, she gripped his hardness in her hand, stroking its length through the fabric.

Her eyes trailed from his eyes to his mouth. His breathing had become ragged as if her own breath was creating an intoxicating effect on him. Gripping onto his wrist, she pulled his hand away from her and tugged down the remainder of the jumpsuit to the floor, pooling around his ankles. She pulled her own leggings off and stepped out of them. To her surprise, he seemed hesitant to touch her although her body was entirely exposed to him. They were both almost panting by this point, Elan considered taking a moment to catch her breath although she feared the delay might poison her mind into convincing her she didn’t want to fuck his brains out on the filthy floor of the transport, something she just could not allow.

She stepped towards him, again pulling his mouth to hers, putting her hands against his shoulders, pushing him towards the ground. He obliged willingly, kneeling down before her and resting his knees against the floor of the vessel. Elan took in the sight of him below her before lowering her body herself. She placed her legs on either side of his, Poe craning his neck back to take in the sight of her naked frame before she settled onto his lap. Feeling the warmth of his erect shaft against her thigh, she gripped its length in her hand and guided it towards her entrance. He placed his hands on her backside, coaxing her body to take him in deeper. A moan escaped her lips as she began to pulse her body up and down rapidly; Poe’s fingers clinging to her hips controlling the pace of her motions. His mouth moved again to her neck then lower to her nipples. The sensitive flesh was causing jolting waves of pleasure through her body under his touch. Poe was surprisingly thorough and gentle despite Elan’s rather aggressive thrusts, continually slowing her pace with his hands. Frustration rose in her chest, something Poe must have noticed as he grinned dangerously at her, holding his hands firmly against her legs, halting her motion.

“Now who’s being _insubordinate_?” Elan gasped with a wry smile, taking the moment to catch her breath.

In a swift motion, holding his hand against her waist, he flipped her onto her back, and propping herself up on his forearms, gliding into her effortlessly with a stiff thrust. Elan cried out louder this time as she arched her back deeply, the tip of his cock hitting a sweet spot inside of her. He held her hands above her head, pinning her underneath him.

“We’ll see,” he crooned, his lips against her ear. 


	16. In which our hero deems once is never enough...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure I've had more anxiety about uploading sexy scenes than I ever did finals week of college. You're welcome.

 

Still positioned on top of her, Poe tormented Elan’s body by almost languidly pulsing inside of her. She attempted to pick up the pace, but he had her pinned to the floor, assaulting her mouth with his tongue as she moaned with fervor. Swells of pleasure were washing over her as her nails dug into the flesh of his shoulders. Her legs had began to tremble so she wrapped them tighter around his hips, pulling him in even deeper. Poe let out a groan, tipping his head to the ceiling, a euphoric expression plastered on his face.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” he breathed ravenously.

Elan seized the opportunity to force him back onto his knees, pulling herself on top of him to the dominant position, her personal preference, and pulled the thin shirt up and over his head. Not entirely amused with the change in rank, Poe stood, holding her tightly against him still, and laid her on top of the shipping container coaxing her onto her back. The container itself was hip level to him and he was able to stand, continuing to thrust into her. After a few moments of allowing him his way, Elan rose and brought her face to his, both breathing in the same deep exhalations. She slung her arms around his shoulders, bobbing with the pulsating motions of their bodies. Both sweaty, out of breath, and Elan was fairly certain she smelled like the inside of a fuel tank, but the fire passing between them let that all fall away. She could feel herself reaching her climax as a bead of sweat ran down her spine, landing against Poe’s hand, steadying her body against the small of her back. He slipped his hand between her legs, gently thumbing the bud of flesh he found there. Elan cursed loudly, the action bringing her over the edge, cascading into ripples of ecstasy and gasping against his shoulder. Her legs clamped around him, she could feel him shuddering at his own release. He came hard against her, gripping the edges of the container.

Both uttering a quiet  _ fuck  _ beneath their labored breaths, they struggled to come down from the carnal high. Elan ran her hand over her face, brushing damp strands of hair away from her eyes. Poe’s hands remained against her body, stable and strong. Thick locks of dark hair had fallen against his brows, sweat clung to the stubble along his jaw. Elan eyed his face carefully; his eyes were closed, a look more akin to languor took over his expression, the muscles in his shoulders beginning to relax. Her pulse was still quickened and her body still misty with perspiration, her arms still draped over his neck. Poe slid his hands up to her face, cupping it gently, and bringing her forehead to his. Elan trailed her hand down to his navel, running her nails against the bare skin. He flinched slightly, Elan wondered if perhaps he was ticklish and found herself chuckling at the notion. Poe raised his head and cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Laughter is not exactly something a guy wants to hear after that.” 

“Sorry.” She dropped her head, tucking her lips into her mouth which felt salty and slightly chapped. Still inside of her, she could feel him softening against her still sensitive flesh before he pulled out gently, that familiar awkward wet sound breaking the silence. He took a finger and ran it along the line of her collarbone, his eyes following its imaginary wake. Elan could see the softness in his eyes but also something below that; something like an affliction invisible to the naked eye.  _ Pain? _

Poe dropped his head, stepping backward and clearing his throat. 

“Elan-  _ shit _ .” He rubbed his eyes harshly and let out an exasperated groan, tousling his hair stubbornly with his hand.

“What?” She crossed her arms against her bare chest, willing herself not to be offended by his tone.

“You can’t...do that,” he said finally. Elan retorted with a scoff.

“Do  _ what  _ exactly?”

“You can’t just ignore orders. That kind of defiance gets people killed.”

“Excuse me, but I believe  _ your  _ exact words were ‘fuck the mission’. I don’t think you have the right to criticize me for being seditious.”

Poe sighed. 

“You don’t get it, do you?”

“Get  _ what _ , Dameron?”

Before he could respond, there came the startling noise of voices from the upper deck.

“Shit.” Poe pulled his flightsuit up to his waist and dashed up the stairs onto the bridge. Elan pulled her tunic over her head and trailed after him, half terrified the smugglers had given them chase. As she reached the top of the stairs, she could make out what the voices were expressing over the comm.

_ “...if you do not identify yourself we will be forced to treat the vessel as hostile and take immediate action.” _

Poe frantically fiddled with the unfamiliar comm system before finding the speaker.

“This is Poe Dameron of the Resistance. I repeat, this is Poe Dameron.”

“...Dameron?” The voice responded questioningly. “What the  _ hell  _ are you flying?”

“Long story. You can tell the General we have what we came for.”

“Roger that. You have permission to land, Dameron.”

Elan leaned against the doorway, naked from the hem of her tunic down. Poe still had his flightsuit loosely sitting low around his hips. The muscles of his back moved under his skin as he pushed off from the control center counter. When he turned to face her, his eyes immediately trailed down to her bare legs. 

“How much time do we have?” Elan asked nonchalantly, casually planning another escapade in her mind.

“How much time do you need?” He responded coyly, a dangerous expression on his face. She began moved towards him but before she could reach him, he already had his arms around her, lifting her against the wall of the cabin, pressing her back firmly against it and bracing her lower body against his leg. Immediately her cheeks reddened, flushed with heat. With a teasing expression, he ran his tongue slowly across his index finger, then sliding his hand against the bare skin of her inner thighs. His slick finger trailed mercilessly against the tender folds of her, causing jolt of arousal to course through her body. He sucked hard along the line of her jaw and down against her shoulders and his fingers expertly twirled and stroked the responsive flesh. Her hips bucked against his hand as once again the fire of her orgasm arose inside of her. Poe smirked as her muscles clenched against his grip, moaning loudly as she came. His slipped a finger inside of her, feeling her walls wet with arousal tremor around him. Elan was panting, every muscle in her body feeling the magnitude of the moment. Poe gently eased her down to her feet, steadying her with his hands resting against her hip bones. When she lifted her gaze to meet him, a smile was toying at his lips.

“Oh don’t look so proud of yourself,” Elan teased, pulling her tunic down to its normal length. 

“I just thought of you as more of a marathon runner than a sprinter.” He gazed down at his hands and wiped it idly against the side of the flightsuit. “That was...easy.” 

Elan smacked him on his arm. 

“Also, before we land, you might want to, uh-”

“Put on some pants?”

“Well, I was going to say, ahem, cover that.” He pointed to her neck.

Elan spun to the reflective surface of the nearest monitor, spotting several reddish circles along her shoulders leading up to her jaw.

“Oh, you motherfu-”

“Hey, I don’t remember you complaining.”

“What are you, fourteen, Dameron?” she griped, rubbing her neck futilely. 

“But, yeah, pants might be good, too.”

Elan made her way down the stairs, trying to be nonobvious in concealing her slightly wobbly gait. Slipping on her leggings, she realized they both probably looked obviously guilty. She tried to smooth down her hair, but resorted to pulling it into a loose bun at the base of her neck as the limp strands hung around her shoulders lifelessly.  _ Shit _ . She remembered the lovely decorations Poe had left on her neck, as well as the fact that all of her clean garments were back on the Lambda, which had been obliterated. Pulled her hair back down, she wet her palms against her tongue and attempted to at least try to make herself look relatively presentable. Luckily, she supposed, the majority of the marks were on one side of her neck and she was able to swing her hair to one side, grateful for its length. She tugged at the hem of her tunic, still feeling painfully conspicuous. 

“Well, don’t you look flustered.”

Poe had pulled up the rest of his flightsuit and fastened it to his neck. Despite his slightly disheveled locks, he could pass for someone just returning from a brisk jog. There was a slight bounce to his step, something Elan found particularly vexing. A sound came from the corner of the compartment. BB-8 slowly rolled around the corner of a sizeable piece of what looked like another transport. Poe snorted. Elan smacked his arm.

“So, um, he, it, must’ve been here this whole-”

“Yep.” At this point Poe’s shoulders were jerking as he laughed. “Don’t worry, BB-8’s seen worse. Right, buddy?”

The droid made no response as he whirred over to the boarding ramp. Elan couldn’t help but feel like the machine was silently judging her, although she couldn’t exactly blame it.

“So, that droid doesn’t have a, uh, recording system or anything does it..?”

Poe looked at her with a devilish grin.

“Poe?”

“Well, he has  _ many  _ features.”

“Poe, I swear to-”

“Relax, princess. Your secret is safe with me.” 

_ Technically, it’s our secret, flyboy _ .  _ Shit _ . Suddenly, the weight of their spontaneous, albeit passionate and admittedly enjoyable, romp washed over her. She chewed the inside of her cheek and dug at her fingernail. What does this mean now? For both of them? Her impulsiveness had caused fairly hefty repercussions in the past, however she was not the only player in this game this time. Still, this feeling seemed the type of foe to linger. _Don't overthink it, Elan. Don't overthink it._

“Hey.” He reached out to her face, tipping her chin up. “You alright?”

Elan feigned a smile. 

“Of course.”

Poe seemed unconvinced.

“Look, was, um, all that,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “That was alright, wasn’t it?” Troubled concern was plastered on his face. Those brown eyes cut into her as she realized the weight of his question. Somehow she didn't fathom him to be a guy who worried too much over his intimate encounters, although he clearly proved her wrong about other matters. 

"It was fine. Really," she replied with a slightly more genuine smile. She nudged him with her elbow. "Nice flying, Mister Dameron."


	17. In which our hero has a welcome return...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little exposition who those who enjoy plot. Torture for those who are here for the smut. (Sorry, loves.)  
> Mmmmm I have many ideas for some upcoming events, but I'd love to hear what you guys might be holding out for/hoping to see >:)

Immediately after the transport landed safely in the hangar, the two were greeted warmly by nearly half of Poe’s squadron. Harsh slaps against shoulders and abrasive hugs were had all around, as well as playful banter at the expense of both Poe and the raggedy vessel. Elan had to grin. It was like watching an unknown language; the smiles and cheers seemed like they were only intended for each other, these foolhardy people on a truly insane mission. The camaraderie was encouraging, and Elan surveyed Poe carefully as he interacted with his team. His smile was wide, causing creases along his mouth and the corners of his eyes. She hadn’t seen this display of true happiness before and she found herself wondering if any of his squad had seen the expression _she’d_ been able to coax out of him. Just as she was smirking to herself at the recollection of their rather eventful excursion, Snap clamped his arm around her and pulled her into the group, others grabbing her hands and rubbing her back. Being included in the celebratory ceremony was not something she’d considered, and she was slightly taken aback by the gesture, as she didn’t really think of herself as exactly important to the cause despite the recent discovery.

“Oh don’t look so surprised.” Snap pulled her closer to his chest with a cheerful embrace. “From what I hear, this is going to be huge for the Resistance. We have you to thank for that. Besides, it’s not every day the _best pilot in the fleet_ recommends someone personally for a mission,” he teased.

Elan blushed, immediately embarrassed by the physiological response. When she looked up, she locked eyes with Poe, who beamed at her with a proud smile and a casual wink. This did not help to lessen the redness in her cheeks.

“Alright, break it up, guys. We have some debriefing to do,” Poe chimed.

“And some explaining, Dameron,” Jessika added. “What the hell did you do to the Lambda? You know how hard it was to get our hands on an Imperial shuttle?”

“Uh, yeah. About that…”

“We heard they lost contact in the command center. We thought we’d lost you,” another pilot expressed.

“I guess Poe can add hijacker to his growing list of accomplishments.” Elan reproached jokingly.

“Yeah, yeah. All will be revealed. Right now, we’ve got a meeting with the General.”

“Well, hey, drinks on us tonight, you two. We’ll be waiting,” Snap announced. After agreeing, Poe guided Elan out of the circle of onlookers towards the main hub of the base. When they were safely out of earshot, she turned her head to him.

“So let’s say I’d rather not smell like sweat and engine grease in front of the General…”

“Because she’s obviously _never_ encountered that before,” he chided.

“Okay, fine. I’d rather not have the aroma of sex, Dameron. I need a shower.”

“Need company?”

Elan hesitated. _Not exactly a repulsive offer_.

“Well, I need to be in there.” He ushered to the command center. “There, not in your shower. At least not right now.” He smirked again at her. “You get cleaned up, princess. I’ll cover for you.” He took a few long strides forward. “Besides, I think you smell great,” he shouted, quite a bit louder than necessary. A few of the mechanics nearby looked up curiously. Elan tucked her head under her hand and made her way to her dorm.

\---

Being back in her own shower, one large enough for her entire body to comfortably fit, was a feeling of luxury after the questionable experience in the shuttle’s refresher. Elan closed her eyes against the stream of hot water, the cleansing liquid allowing her muscles some much needed relaxation. Cutting the experience painfully short, she signed and stepped out of the shower, idly pulling on her fresh garments. Wiping off the condensation from the mirror, she began working her fingers through her tangled locks. When she flipped her head to the opposite side, she noticed the reddish marks left from her oh-so-delightful encounter were beginning to turn a more purple hue.

 _Fuck_. Elan grumbled as she dug out her cosmetic powder and lightly blotted the product against her neck. A harsh knock at the door echoed into her room.

“Dammit, Poe, I said I’d be there!” _Impatient bastard_ , she hissed under her breath.

“Yeah, I’m definitely _not_ Poe.”

 _Shit_. Elan opened the door with a guilty expression. Raissa stood before her with counterfeit annoyance on her face, lasting only a few moments before pulling her into a tight embrace.

“I’m glad you’re not dead, E.”

“You know, I’m pretty glad of that myself,” she responded warmly.

Shutting the door behind her, Raissa cleared her throat.

“So, wanna tell me why you thought I was Poe? I thought you’d have had enough of him after almost getting killed.”

“Oh, I, uh,” she stammered. She liked to think she could fabricate a story on her feet to get out of most situations, but she was embarrassingly tongue-tied with this one. “He wanted to run something by me before the debriefing.” With a nervous autonomous motion, she tucked her hair behind her ear before she could stop herself. _Shit shit shit._ Raissa grabbed her wrist and pushed the remaining strands away from Elan’s neck.

“ _Oh my fucking_ -”

“Totally not what it looks like,” Elan sputtered, brushing the hair back over her neck promptly. Raissa gripped her friend’s shoulders, leading her harshly forward and plopped her on the couch. She took root on the other end, tucking her knees to her chest, looking all too eager for gossip.

"Spill."

Elan groaned loudly.

“I guess I can’t just get away with saying “a lady doesn’t kiss and tell’ can I?”

“Fuck that, Elan. You know how little excitement I get normally that doesn’t have to do with almost certain death? This is the highlight of my fucking _year_.”

Elan chuckled.

“Alright, you win.”

She started out with their accidental kiss days before, something Raissa insisted that she subconsciously planned, but still let slide and a happy accident. Elan then regaled her with her discovery of the ventilation shaft and its contents, which Raissa brushed her hand at.

“I’ll hear about that later. Get to the good shit, E.”

“ _Fine_. He was helping me out of the vent, covered in dirt and whatever the hell else was in there and he just kissed me.”

“Just like that?”

“Well, I, um, may have sneezed in his face first…”

“Mother of…” Raissa palmed her face. “Elan, holy shit.” She began to giggle behind her hand, giving her a hopeless look. “But, hey, at least he still kissed you. Is that how you got the whole-” she ushered to her friend’s neck. Elan chewed her lip and ran her fingers briskly across her scalp.

“You didn’t.”

Elan looked a Raissa with a culpable expression. Raissa smacked her hard on her leg.

“You _didn’t_.” Again, she had a look of judgement on her face, but there was an underlying aspect behind it Elan knew was amusement.

“We almost died. It’s a natural response! Although if it wasn’t for the smugglers, I probably would’ve killed myself.”

“Wait, smugglers? That’s what happened?”

“Yeah, apparently they had already set up shop on Dantooine. I don’t even think they knew we were there.” Elan’s expression faded into guilt. “I almost got us killed.”

“Hey, if I had space pirates firing at me, I’d probably climb the nearest thing like a tree, too.”

Elan guffawed at the sentiment.

“That’s almost exactly how it went down.”

“Oh, did it now?”

The two shared an admittedly obnoxious laugh.

“So, was it good?”

The familiar feeling of redness burned across her face.

“Um, I’d say so, yeah. I mean, it was quick. Both times.”

Raissa’s eyes widened.

“Technically, just once. The second time was more… handsy.”

Raissa rubbed her eyes with a dramatic sigh. “Whew. Damn, E. I need a drink. _You_ need several. Then I get more details. The good stuff. But when there’s more time. I just wanted to stop by to make sure you were alright. Clearly, you’re doing pretty good for yourself.” She stood and crossed to the door before turning abruptly. “You _did_ want to right? Best pilot or not, I’ll yank those pretty teeth right out.”

Elan rubbed her friend’s shoulder with a smile. “I did. Trust me.”

“Think its gonna happen again?”

She shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine.”

“‘Cause you _know_ I’ll know. Hell, I’ll probably know before _you_ do,” she berated playfully.

“That is probably true.”

\---

The command center was bustling with workers and comptrollers bolting back and forth throughout cramped workspaces and monitors. Elan nervously stepped into the room, which felt like more of an arena, hoping she wasn’t in the way. She wasn’t sure where she was heading, but before she could get too deep into the crowd, a tall slightly imposing man stepped in front of her.

“Miss Caledon?”

“Um, yes. I’m Elan.”

“Follow me.”

She stayed closely on his heels, fearing that straying in the slightest would result in being instantaneously swallowed up in the sea of commotion. She was led into a room with a large circular console surrounded by chairs, most of which were filled with important figures to the cause. Among the researchers and commanders was General Organa, whose eyes were glued to a datapad in her hand. Thankfully, in the flood of otherwise unfamiliar faces, she was able to spot Poe, who immediately ushered to an empty seat beside him. He had changed into a clean flightsuit, probably to the relief of those around him, and looked slightly more put together than when she last saw him. He leaned in close to her ear as she took the spot.

“We’ve gone through most of the technicals, they’re just going to ask you a couple of basic questions,” he whispered, the warmth of his breath riling up a very inconvenient sensation within her.

Elan nodded nervously, sitting as stiff and straight as a board in her chair. Poe rested his hand on her knee under the table, making her jump slightly. “Loosen up, kid, you look like you’re being thrown to the wampas.”

“Miss Caledon, who long have you been working with us?”

“Nearly four weeks.” She attempted to put on her best confident-not-cocky voice that she could muster. _Take that, Dameron_.

“You’re working in archives, correct?”

“Yes. That’s how I came to meet P- Mist- _Commander_ Dameron.” _Shit, keep it up, E_. She’d been actively engaged in politics from her early teens, yet somehow foreign dignitaries and members of royalty were less intimidating than the military men and women surrounding her now and she could feel eyes boring through her.

“Miss Caledon was interviewing pilots who took on Starkiller Base. I knew she’d be the person for the job after I met her. Looks like I was right," Poe quipped.

She sensed that Poe had turned to her, but she kept her gaze fixed forward, fighting back the rising heat in her chest. She did happen to glance at General Organa, who had looked up from the device in her hand, her eyes flicking between Elan herself and Poe. A curious expression played on her face. Amusement? Perhaps accusation? Elan relaxed slightly when their eyes met and the General offered a kind smile.

“This is indeed excellent work, Miss Caledon,” Leia responded. “Tell me, how did you think to look in such an odd location?”

“It just seemed like something I would do.”

General Organa’s smile widened.

“You’re have to head to the Medbay when we’re done here,” another officer piped up. “Dameron mentioned your shoulder injury.”

Elan began to protest, but she was waved off. There were a few more rounds of questions, during one particularly involved one, Poe's finger trailed along the side of her hip, teasing her mercilessly. She side-eyed him only to see one of the best unassuming face she'd seen from him yet as his eyes were focused entirely on the interviewer. _Asshole._ His finger drew small circles around her hip, trailing up to the top of her thigh near her lap.  _Oh, don't you dare..._ His hand slid near the inside of her thigh, running his pinky finger against the crotch of her trousers. Elan crossed her legs tightly, roughly placed his hand back in his own lap. 

"Man, you're antsy," he whispered against her ear when the commanders were talking among themselves.

Not long after, they were cleared to leave, but not before Poe had taken to finding any excuse to try to break her concentration with clandestine touches hidden beneath the cover of the table.

“Miss Caledon, a moment please.” The voice came from the General and Elan stopped dead in her tracks, shooting a nervous glance at Poe, who looked amused at her apparent terror. The rest of the staff vacated the room, leaving just her and Leia in the dwarfing chamber.

“How are you holding up, Miss Caledon?”

“Elan, please,” she offered in response. “I’m alright. Honestly, I’m thankful to have my feet firmly on the ground. I’m not the biggest fan of flying.”

Leia chuckled. “I’m sure Poe took advantage of that fact.” She noticed the General used his first name, suggesting familiarity. For some reason, this fact made her slightly anxious.

“Clearly we were not intending to send you both into hostile territory. I’m sure that must have been very frightening.” Her tone was kind, genuine, much to Elan's relief.

“It was, but it all happened so fast. I think adrenaline kicked it. I hardly remember the fight at all.” Her hand went instinctively to her shoulder. The wound she’d forgotten about, she hadn’t even noticed it since returning to the Base.

“He cares about you. I’m sure you’re aware.”

The informal tone of the statement caused Elan’s eyes to drop to the floor. This was not the time for her to stick her foot in her mouth.

“He’s reckless by nature. Maybe even arrogant by some accounts, but he gets the job done. Whether it's by orders or not.” Leia leaned in closer to her with a smirk, not too dissimilar to Poe’s. “I hear that same mindset runs in you as well.”

“That was careless of me. I should’ve followed his lead. I could’ve gotten us both killed, failed the mission, let alone-”

Leia reached out and laid a hand on Elan’s arm, halting her rambling.

“You did good. We’re desperate for anything of value at this point. The information you managed to obtain is beyond that; if the intel is accurate, there could be an entire network we were unaware of with supplies and resources. Truly, this is an invaluable contribution, Elan. This will not be forgotten. You should be proud.”

Elan immediately clammed up. She rarely took compliments well as she rarely had the opportunity to do anything of importance that merited any sort of feedback. She was left unsure as to how to respond.

“Take the rest of the day to gather yourself. Celebrate. You deserve it.”

Elan smiled, turning to head back to her dorm.

“And Elan? Take it from me: men who love their ships more than themselves tend to show affection… differently. Be patient, but let him know when he’s losing track of priorities.”

Elan swallowed hard. _Priorities about the mission of the Resistance or about whatever the hell their relationship was/is/might become?  Was she already thinking of her as a distraction?_ She didn’t think the General would give advice halfheartedly, so she stored the instruction in the back of her mind, already planning her night of debauchery with the group of rowdy pilots.

_This will be one for the holobooks._


	18. In which out heroine has a long night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted an excuse to write about drunk pilots and dammit I took my chance. Also I hope I'm not boring you guys too much with plot exposition ;_;   
> I have a playlist here inspired by these two: https://open.spotify.com/user/1275190270/playlist/06dPEO4Z0Sr0jtNHmPQq6i
> 
> And a tumblr post with my Elan facecanon for those interested! http://coco-monster.tumblr.com/post/140398168222/have-a-seat-mr-dameron-oh-geez-its-not

The medbay was nearly empty, something that was a bit of relief to Elan. For some reason she’d called up images of maimed soldiers and pilots in varying degrees of pain. For now, it was just her and a single doctor, dutifully check her vitals and taking down her information. As she carefully examined her arm, the doctor let out a hopeful utterance.

“It looks like it's a relatively clean burn, no sign of infection or significant trauma. I’ll wrap it up for you and give you a topical in case it begins to ache as it heals. You might have some soreness, but likely a hardly noticeable scar.”

Elan nodded, praying that she wouldn’t be questioned about the marks left on her neck, although she was positive the doctor had noticed them. 

“How are you feeling otherwise?”

“Fine,” she responded without any thought. “I don’t really feel it anymore.”

“I don’t mean about the burn.” She set her clipboard on the examination table. “Several men were killed in front of you. You were nearly killed yourself. You went from a comfortable, safe environment, to one almost as dangerous as they come. Now I’ll ask again, how are you feeling?”

Elan’s eyes drifted to the floor. It hit her that she hadn’t had time to process anything. Her encounter with Poe after was a grateful distraction.  _ Poe _ . The look in his eyes as he fired the blaster, the shot cutting through the man’s skull like tissue paper. They weren’t furious or hostile, they were just… blank. It wasn’t his first time in a situation that required lethal action, but it was a side that had never occurred to her. Still, he took the shot to save her life. risking his own in doing so. He came to her aid when her own life was perilously close to meeting its end. 

“Miss Caledon?”

She snapped out of her stupor, blinking rapidly and finding that her eyes had begun to water.

“It was scary. Traumatic, maybe. But I didn’t sign up to help the Resistance to sit in a room all day twiddling my thumbs. If I wanted to do that I never would’ve left home. I knew the risks in coming here. I just want to go back to work.”

The doctor eyed her carefully, slowing, as if trying to flush out any deception in her statement. She hummed once under her breath, punching in her analysis into her datapad. 

“That’s all, Miss Caledon. You’re free to go. But you’re taking the rest of the day to collect your thoughts. You can go back to your routine tomorrow. But be aware of yourself. This type of work is not for everyone. You’re no good to the cause if you’re not in a stable place yourself.”

 

\-----

The silence of her dorm was normally comforting, but the moment she shut the door, it became deafening. She took a seat on her bed, dropping her head into her hands. The feeling of the same fear and anxiety swept over her and she could almost hear the sound of shots flying past her ears. Her heart began to pound in her eyes and her breaths became shortened as the intrusive thoughts evoked the feeling of being absolutely helpless and small, the smell of her own flesh burning under the heat of the barrel, the smile on her assailant’s face as she screamed…

For the first time in more years than she knew, she let herself cry. Not the gentle release of a tear or two running down her cheek she’d let happen before, but full-fledged sobbing. Pulling her knees to her chest, she laid down on her side on top of the covers. The tears came pouring out of her eyes as she weeped. She allowed the emotion to overtake her for a time, the length of which she couldn’t be sure.  _ Breathe, Elan.  _ Feeling childish, she took a few deep breaths, shallow and wavering, but the action still managed to calm her slightly. She groaned. Her head had already begun to throb, a painful reminder as to why she didn’t find much relief in tears. turning the cold tap in her sink on full, she cupped her hands beneath the stream, splashing large amounts of water against her face. The shock of the cold against her heated skin offered a reminder that she was here, safe, and in no immediate danger. Elan exhaled again with a quick puff, blotting her face dry with a cloth. She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes embarrassingly red and slightly puffy, and grumbled as she looked at the clock on the wall. In a few minutes, she was supposed to meet the team of pilots for the observance of the success of the mission, but she couldn’t feel less inclined to celebrate.  _ Just put on a brave face. You’ve done it before.  _

Waving her hands in front of her face to continue to cool her skin, she paced around her dorm, cursing loudly at what she considered a very immature reaction to the experience. After allowing a few moments to collect herself, Elan cleared her throat, blew her nose, and gave herself a once over in the mirror before heading towards the mess hall. 

 

At first glance, she didn’t recognize any of the pilots from the morning, and the locale itself seemed rather empty. Frowning, she continued onto the hangar. Almost like clockwork, the closer she got to the hangar, the sound of laughter and exuberance filled her ears. Snap caught sight of her first and he called out her name loudly over the raised voices.

“Elan! You made it.”

Once again, he clamped his arm around her shoulders roughly, jarring her slightly. He pulled a crate over for her to join nearly a dozen other pilots, Poe oddly not one of them. Jessika waved and smiled warmly as she sat down. 

“So, you’ve been officially thrown in head-first into a real mission,” Snap cheered. “How’s it feel?”

“Only mildly terrifying. I think my office is going to feel pretty boring after that little adventure.”

While she’d given her review, Snap had been filling a glass with a dark colored liquid and passed it to her. Without thinking, she took a large gulp whilst enthralled with another pilot’s tale of her first mission. It took everything in her power to not immediately spit the ill-tasting drink out of her mouth on impact.

“What the  _ hell  _ is that?!” she gasped, pulling a sour face. The remaining pilots erupted with laughter, apparently waiting with bated breath for her reaction. 

“Dobri whiskey. Cheap and tastes light engine fuel. But, hey, it gets the job done.” Snap took the glass from her and handed her a more palatable looking beverage. “This is a little more friendly. Sunfruit liqueur.”

Elan took a cautious swig, but was pleasantly surprised to find the drink was sweet and dangerously delicious. 

“Well, we are proud of you, just so you know. You made a pretty epic discovery,” Snap added, bumping his shoulder against hers. Elan gave a sheepish smile. Before she could protest, he topped off her drink. “And  _ that  _ is cause for celebration.”

She listened intently to the pilots swapping stories about their own successes and exploits, finishing off her drink which kept seemingly refilling itself. A buzz arose between her eyes, her cheeks flushed, and she found herself getting slightly more chipper than when she’d begun her evening. 

She leaned in closer to Snap, who was on his third drink himself.

“Where’s Poe? I thought he’d be here too, considering he’s why I’m not dead. But don’t tell him that.”

He chuckled. “He doesn’t really do these types of things. He’s not really a drinker.”

“I know,” she caught herself, “I mean, I heard. But I thought he’d at least show up.   
“He’s probably in his bunk. He usually crashes after a mission. For all that bravado, Poe’s a pretty quiet guy.” Snap leaned in closer. “He talks about you a lot, you know. And he’s a bad liar. Do with that what you will.” He winked. 

Elan mustered a scoff. “I don’t know what he told you-”

He waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. Really.” He turned to the group, then back to her, lowering his voice. “Between us, he’s had a bit of a bounce in his step the past week. I was beginning to worry about the guy before that. Hoping he didn’t have some weird arrangement with his ship. Or the droid.”

Elan snorted, covering her mouth with her hand.

_ “... all three of those bucketheads went FLYING into the water. Good times…” _

From the time they’d met, Snap’s candid nature was a welcome difference from the other fighters who seemed to have a much more formal demeanor. His charisma and warmth made her feel at ease and comfortable despite her insecurities. However, now thoroughly sauced, the rest seemed to have quite affable and pleasant personalities as well, whether that was the alcohol or not she wasn’t sure. 

_ “...and then he had the nerve to ask if my engine thrust was as good as my starfighter’s…” _

They were a tight knit group. Elan felt grateful to be included, even if it felt like she was the odd one out. 

“You should go check on him.”

Elan shook her head, downing the rest of her drink, the third, shuddering as it went down.

“I don’t think I’m in the best state to be good company.”

“Oh come on, he’s probably just moping alone in his room. I’m sure he’d love the attention.”

Elan chuckled. “Somehow I don’t see Poe ‘moping’,” she said through a giggle. “Besides I don’t even know where his bunk is.”

“Well, you’re in luck. C’mon, I’ll walk you over.”

“No, really-”

“Come on,” he insisted as he helped her to her feet. Elan grumbled again, but followed him after saying her goodbyes to the others. She suddenly became overtly aware of her inebriated state when she began to walk and she had to carefully measure her steps.

She hadn’t been in the section of dormitories that Snap was leading her to, much closer to the hangar which made sense if they needed to fly out quickly. The area was surprisingly quiet as it was farther away from the bustle near the command center. After passing about a half dozen doors, Snap stopped and ushered to the door to his left. He took a step closer to her before he passed her, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Look, whatever this is or isn’t, it's none of my business, but just… Just be careful with him, okay? He’s lost a lot. I mean, we all have. But Poe doesn’t take it well. He thinks he hides it but it's there.”

“Sounds like you guys are tight.”

Snap shrugged. “He’s a good guy. Stubborn as hell sometimes, but his heart is in the right place. Make sure it stays that way, okay?” 

Elan gave a small smile and nodded. She waited to knock until he was well on his way toward the exit. She wobbled on her feet, rocking back and forth on her heels. Her head was swimming, but she felt if she concentrated, she might be able to pass for just slightly impaired. She exhaled deeply and rapped on the door. While she waited for it to open, she chewed on the ragged skin along her thumbnail, suddenly feeling slightly anxious. Would they just casually have a romp between missions or never have another encounter? What if one or both ended up wanting something more? And why the  _ hell  _ was she here now? She began to question her own motives and juggled the option of just going back to her dorm and getting some well deserved sleep in her own bed. 

Before she could settle on making her escape, the door slid open. Poe stood before her, clad in a loose fitting shirt and pants, looking fairly bedraggled and somewhat confused at her presence.

“Elan?” He glanced down both directions of the corridor. “What’s going on? You alright?”

“I just thought you might want some company. I missed you at our little celebration.”

“You missed me, huh?” He propped his arm against the doorframe, smirking coyly. “Well, come in.”

Elan trudged in, stumbling as she crossed the threshold. Poe turned her by the shoulders to face him.

“Woah, woah, woah. Are you  _ drunk _ ?”

Annoyed, she shook him off. “No!” His room was quite a bit larger than her own, although it was certainly more messy. Next to the doorway was his flightsuit, the one from the mission, covered in grease and grime, in a pile like he’d simply stepped out of it and forgotten their existence altogether. There were random bits of machinery and engine parts scattered throughout the room, something which made Elan smile. From the state of his bunk, it appeared he never stopped working. 

“You should clean your room,” Elan jested, sitting down in chair beside a small circular table, harsher than she meant to.  _ Stupid alcohol.  _

“ _ You _ shouldn’t show up plastered in a pilot’s room in the middle of the night.” He swung a chair around, sitting in it backwards and crossed his arms against the top of the chair.

“I’m  _ not  _ plastered. I may have a little buzz, but I’ve had worse.”

“I’m sure that’s a good story.” He rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. His bed was unmade and she wondered if perhaps she’d woken him. Something stirred inside of her as she eyed his bed.  _ It would be nice on something other than a metal grated floor…  _

Poe waved his hand in front of her face. “Base to Caledon, you there?”

“Sorry.” She left out slightly melodramatic sigh. “I don’t know why I’m here.”

“I thought you missed me.”

“I did. I mean- can you stop looking at me like that?”

Poe held up his hands defensively. “Like what?”

She stood up briskly, teetering a bit, and paced around the table. “Like  _ that _ . It’s not helping. It’s... it's stupid.”

“My face is stupid?”

“ _ No _ . Ugh.”  She rubbed her face, feeling her cheeks burning. Poe stood up and walked up behind her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders, holding her back against his chest. 

“What the hell is going on, Elan? You sure you’re alright?”

She forced herself to turn to him, surprised at seeing legitimate concern on his face. His dark brown eyes looked heavy-lidded and borderline exhausted. The close proximity of their bodies again bringing up feelings she didn't know what to do with. There was a comfort in his arms, something that was almost scary as it was so unfamiliar. His eyes were scanning her face, as if attempting to read into what she couldn't say. Fuck it.

She pulled his face to hers, her lips exploring his as if she had done it a dozen times before. She draped her arms around his neck, her tongue sliding against his bottom lip, something she remembered he seemed to enjoy before. The embrace lasted only a few moments before he pulled her away from her, clearing his throat, and taking her hands in his.

"Elan, come on. We can't do this with you... like this. It'd be a mistake."

She pulled his face down to hers again, tipping his head to gain access to his ear.

"Maybe I want a mistake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, vote- did they or didn't they?


	19. In which our hero takes his time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is a very NSFW chapter. Just as a warning. A little treat for the delay in updates.   
> Just so you know Meg Myer's "Desire" might be a super sexy song to play while reading his chapter >:)
> 
> More headcanons:  
> "Right now?"  
> http://33.media.tumblr.com/23638855ba690e738b0ee919e0e4941e/tumblr_inline_noyq69yyND1sc3ygs_500.gif  
> "Yes."  
> http://31.media.tumblr.com/419e3b5f9de257f9eeb4cd7cf2afc03f/tumblr_n308svI3ZX1qb0jsbo2_500.gif

“Elan, woah.” He held her hands tightly. “You and I both know that would do more harm than good. Seriously, I’d love nothing more than to bend you over that table, but right now,” he shook his head. “I think we’d  _ both  _ enjoy it more after a decent night’s sleep.”

Embarrassment washed over her and she turned her attention to her feet. 

“Hey.” He cupped her face with his hands, offering a small smirk. “Rain check, okay?”

“Fine. I’m just saying,  _ my  _ thrusters are primed and ready.”

“That’s, uh, not how they work…”

She shot him an icy stare. He held up his hands in surrender. 

“Well, now that I’ve thoroughly made a fool of myself, I’m, uh, I’m gonna go.” She took a step forward, tripping over her own foot and grabbing the table before she could topple over. 

“Not like that, you’re not. Here.” He lead her to his bed and sat her down. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I thought you said you  _ didn’t  _ want me to get in bed with you.”

“Ha. Ha. Just get some rest. We’ll, uh, reevaluate in the morning.” Lifting up the covers, he beckoned her to crawl underneath. 

“You getting in here?” 

“I’m pretty sure we’d both wind up with some sort of aneurysm if we tried that. The couch is more comfortable anyway. I’m there most nights as it is. Besides, you seem like a kicker.” He leaned in towards her face, moving to perhaps place a kiss on her forehead, but apparently thought better of it as he shook his head with a sigh. “Get some sleep, princess.” 

Elan wiggled under the covers further, taking in the scent of him surrounding her. The pillow smelled of his hair, reminded her of the feeling of his head tucked under her chin as her hips bucked against his, her breaths ragged and strained, his hands desperately running over her bare skin…

She groaned again, pulling the covers over her face. She peeked her eyes over the top sheet to see Poe sitting with his back to her, already fiddling with some piece of scrap electronics, tools in hand, his own mind probably already drifting off the thought of her. He was so meticulous, his head bent closely to his project, and she could just make out him humming while he worked. Elan wrinkled her nose in frustration.  _ I’m not that drunk. I could… function. _ But alas, her head was swimming; now that she was horizontal she could easily feel the effects of the alcohol and she swore drinking with pilots from here on out was completely out of the question. Her eyes fluttered closed and she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

 

The morning hit her with disorientation and slight nausea.  _ What the in the ever-loving hell…  _ She slowly realized her location. _ This is Poe’s room. This is Poe’s bed. But there’s no Poe. _ Having absolutely no idea of the time, she turned her attention towards the bathroom, the door slid open to reveal its empty contents. Had he already gone about his daily duties? The clock beside the bed showed it was still fairly early in the morning, definitely before her own shift started, but pilots could have a different schedule altogether. Apprehensively, she sat up in the unfamiliar bed, the covers pulled to her collarbone (as she knew from experience that Drunk Elan thought it pertinent to disrobe before sleeping), although she wasn’t entirely sure what she was covering up for. He’d seen her naked twice not to mention the rather intense sexual escapades that had already occurred. Throwing caution to the wind, she slung the covers off and stood, shockingly still fully clothed, swaying slightly as steadied herself. She was glad to still have a vague recollection of the previous night’s events, although remember the accompanying embarrassment she could have done without. Her shoes were placed carefully by the door, something she knew she hadn’t done herself. All she could hope for was that she didn’t kick Poe in the face as he tried to work them off her feet. The image did however make her chuckle as she scanned the curious new dwelling with sober eyes. He had picked up the random clothes scattered on the floor although she noticed he had simply stuffed them in a pile on chair next to the table. 

She turned her eyes back to the bathroom, contemplating getting a much needed shower, but she knew with her luck the second she hopped in, Poe would return, likely interpreting it as an open invitation. She couldn’t make it  _ that  _ easy. 

Just as she was weighing her options, she heard the familiar beep of a keycard as his door slid open. Poe walked in, still in loose fitting bottoms and a plain t-shirt, a pastry stuffed in his mouth, and several more in his hands, balanced atop two steaming cups of tea. He smiled as best he could and attempted to say something through the crumbs but just the sound of muffled vowels came out. Elan took a cup from his outstretched hand, freeing it so that he could take the oversized pastry out of his mouth. He licked the sticky sugar residue off the corners of his mouth, suddenly looking very content. 

“I thought you might be hungry.” He handed her a buttered croissant and one of the mugs with a smile. “Did you sleep alright?”

“Um, yeah, I did. Thanks. Sorry for exiling you from your bed.” She took a larger bite than she meant to and had to awkwardly stuff the treat back into her mouth.  _ Sexy, Elan _ . She sat back down on the corner of his bed, balancing her mug on her thigh. 

“Don’t worry about it. Hey, I actually wanted to, uh, talk to you.” He took a place beside her. A pang of anxiety coursed through her veins.  _ Oh boy _ . “I just wanted to say that whatever… this-”, he ushered between them, “is, it’s fine. By me, at least. I don’t want you to feel like, uh.” He exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck, something she’d picked up as a nervous tic of his. “This is not how I planned this two seconds before coming in here,” he chuckled shyly.

“What do you think this is?”

“I guess I haven’t thought about it. You?” He turned his head toward her, his face a mirror for his apprehension. Elan shrugged. In truth, she’d had fun with him, but she didn’t really think much further than in the moment. If she was honest with herself, she really didn’t know what she wanted. But, she certainly knew what she liked.

“I had a good time.” She took a refreshing sip of her tea, it’s warmth traveling down her throat. Something stirred inside her, whether the liquor was still working its way out of the system or the recollection of their previous exploits was enough to awaken a desire in her she was all too eager to please. 

“We could  _ still  _ have a good time.” Setting the cup down on the chair beside her, she looked over to him in time to see him stuffing the remainder of his pastry into his mouth, his eyes widening at her statement.

“Right now?” His voice was muffled by the mouthful of food. 

Elan scooted closer to him, brushing his hair off his forehead. Poe swallowed hard, cleared his throat and turned to her. 

“Yes.”

“I didn’t bring that up to coax you into anything or...anything-” 

Elan planted her lips against his mouth, leaning him back against the pillows. His hands rested against her waist, his thumbs slipping under the waistband of her leggings. The feeling of his fingers against her bare skin was electrifying. She positioned herself on top of him, working her own fingers through his hair, tangling them tight in the dark tresses. His initial surprise seemed to dissipate as his hands tightened around her waist.

The feeling, however, was short lived. To her chagrin, he pulled back, his brows furrowed.

“This is weird…”

Elan sat back against his legs, crossing her arms. 

“We’re actually on a bed.” 

“We can sneak out to the hangar if you’re desperate,” she retorted. Poe smirked, grabbing her waist and heaving her underneath him, immediately running his tongue across her collarbone.

He pulled her shirt over her head, planting yearning kisses along her chest, causing small moans to escape her throat that grew louder and deeper as his mouth found her nipples. His tongue flicked over the tender flesh as she squirmed beneath him. He was taking his time, painfully so, without the threat of death looming over them he had the time to do with her as he willed. Elan glanced down at him, clenching her jaw to keep from crying out as he working his fingers over her nipples while his lips trailed even lower still. His eyes were closed in concentration, almost as if he was savouring the taste of her skin. His palms had a roughness to them as they cupped her breasts, nothing like the soft hands of the wealthy, pretentious sons of politicians she’d sneak up to her room after their parents were thoroughly trashed after a dinner party. The hurried fumblings, nothing special or sought after, something she’d convinced herself was a conquest of her own although it felt like little more than a trivial one at best. 

Poe began working down her bottoms as he kissed along her navel to the soft edge of her hipbone, letting out quiet moans of his own. He seemed pleased in the reactions he was eliciting from her, but he kept his pace steady, even though she was certain he was aware of her almost melting under his grasp. 

He slipped off her remaining garments, her body now fully exposed. He sat up, his eyes ran over her body hungrily, biting his lip as he gripped her thighs. Slowly, he lowered his head to her knee, brushing his lips against the curve of her leg, trailing down to her inner thigh. He eased himself onto his stomach, cupping his hands around her hips gently pulling them further apart, further exposing herself to him. 

“Poe…” she started. The childish feeling of self-consciousness arose in her. In a daring gesture, he locked eyes with her, easing his head forward, his tongue running along her slick eager folds. She arched her back deeply, gripping the sheets tightly in her hands. His mouth worked expertly to please her, his hands pulling her body closer to his to work deeper into her. Elan’s moans grew louder with each meticulous stroke. She reached down, gripping with hair and directing his pace to quicken. He obliged and she could feel the heat rising from his skin. She was nearing her climax, her legs beginning to tremble, but Poe wasn’t ready for her to finish. He hoisted himself up to her face, his fingers teasing between her legs, stroking the wet swollen flesh. She pulled his mouth to hers, tasting herself on his lips, and feeling the strain of his erection pulsing against her leg. Perhaps too eagerly, she pulled down his bottoms, gripping his length and working her hand against it. He let out a low moan, almost a growl, something that only strengthened her desire for him. She shifted her body underneath him, working her legs on either side of his own, guiding his stiffened organ towards her entrance. He glided into her, her warmth encasing him, his hands propped up on the pillow on either side of her head. His thrusts were strong but still reserved as he rested his body on top of hers, both sweating and panting. His fingers were running over her naked skin, taking in every inch of her with desperate fervor; Elan was unsure if his hands were trying to hold her together or tear her apart although she’d given him the power to do both.

With a few more solid pulses, she could feel the fire of her orgasm rising in her core, her eyes clamped shut, moaning with every lunge. 

“Look at me,” he whispered. She willed her eyes open to meet his, the deep ache in her growing stronger with each motion. Poe watched her face intently, his tongue running over his bottom lip and his own moans began to match the intensity of hers. She could feel his muscles tense, his thrusts becoming more erratic as he neared his own peak. Pacing her body, she bucked her hips harder against his, her legs clenching around his waist allowing him even deeper inside her. In the same moment, they both let out a ravenous cry, Poe cursing between gasps, as they both came instantaneously, Elan could feel him release inside of her. 

Panting, he rested his forehead against hers. Elan could still feel her orgasm rippling through her body, her tender skin still wet with euphoria. Immediately, languor washed over her as she brought her hands to her face. Poe collapsed beside her on the bed. They both laid on their backs, staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to catch their breath. After a moment, Elan let out a satisfied exhale, a smile toying at her lips.

“Fuck,” Poe said finally. Elan let out an almost giddy chuckle.

He turned his head to her, a smirk already on his face. He turned over on his side, rested his head against his palm. He reached out, trailing his fingers across the line of her hip. There was silence between them, a calming silence. He continued to run his fingers across her torso, watching the invisible trail left by the wake of his fingers. Elan eyed his face. There was a softness to it she had not yet seen. He looked _happy_. She felt vulnerable in this state, exposed, something that was frightening. But looking at him now, there was something else beneath her apprehension. 

Contentment; something she didn't remember the last time she felt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow these chapters seem so much shorter when I paste them over. Drat. So I guess my goal can be to add some length to the next few. (That's what she said...?) Thanks for reading!


	20. In which our heroine struggles with unwanted emotion...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING- this chapter deals heavily with anxiety/panic. I would feel like a giant jerk if I didn't slap a precautionary label for my fellow anxiety peeps. I gotchu, fam. 
> 
> Also, it's con season, so I APOLOGIZE AGAIN FOR THE DELAY. I have a con in Seattle I'm hitting this weekend, as an X-wing pilot no less, so if you guys are interested I might post a pic of the finished product in the comments for your enjoyment.

“Don’t you have galaxies to be saving?” Elan quipped as she stretched her arms above her head with a contented sigh. Her heart rate had slowed to a normal pace thankfully, but she was still struggling with coming down from her rather epic peak.

“Don’t _you_ have archives to run?” He teased. “I need to space some quality time with my starfighter. I think it misses me.”

Elan rolled her eyes, sitting up with a groan, grabbing her leggings from the foot of the bed. Poe ran his finger along her spine, the warmth of the digit feeling pleasant against her bare skin. Embarrassingly, she couldn’t spot the rest of her clothes as she scanned her immediate surroundings, scrunching up her nose.

“Ahem.”

She looked over her shoulder to see Poe pointing to her top, with was draped over the corner of the bedside table. As she leaned over to reach for the garment, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pinning her to the bed on her stomach. Elan let out a surprised yelp as Poe gave a victorious chuckle.

“Hey, I’m enjoying this view, I’m not ready to give it up yet.” He ran his hands down down her back again, their roughness still slightly unfamiliar, but still welcoming nonetheless. He brushed her hair away from her neck to one side, lightly placing his lips against the nape of her neck, gently sliding his hand around her side to cup her breast. Elan cooed, closing her eyes, thoroughly enjoying the sensation.

“You’re making this way too easy for me,” he whispered dangerously against her ear, his hand sliding further down her torso, his finger toying mercilessly against the sensitive skin below her navel.

A very ill-timed electronic beeping sound emitted from the terminal built into the wall of the dorm. Poe let out a frustrated exhale as he hopped off the bed, and strode to the comm, hitting the back of his hand against the receiver.

“Dameron.”

“Dameron, the General requests a meeting with you at once.”

“Could it wait-”

“ _Now_ , Dameron.”

“Alright, I’m on my way.”

He reached into the drawers beside the bed, pulling on a wrinkled flightsuit and fastening it up to his neck. His movements were almost mechanical, the habit of the ritual most likely akin to the autopilot on his ship. Plopping down on the chair beside him to pull on his boots, he glanced over to Elan.

“I swear, you blow half the First Order to hell and suddenly everyone wants you.”

“So, what, does that make me a groupie?”

“Please.” He waltzed over to her and ran his fingers across her jawline. “You’d be the _executive_ groupie.” He moved in for a kiss, but Elan planted her palm against his face and shoved it away. She yanked her top over her head and flipped her hair out of the neckline.

“I should probably get out of here.”

Poe let out an overly dramatic gasp, putting his hand to his chest in mock horror.

“What will the other officers think? An innocent, impressionable young woman leaving the quarters of a dashing pilot in the wee hours of the morning? There’s bound to me talk.”

Elan scoffed, pulling the collar of his flightsuit down to bring his face level to hers.

“I am _not_ innocent. And I couldn’t give a _fuck_ what people think.”

Poe gaped at her with stunned amusement. She smirked at him, smoothing his collar down and patting his chest, clearing her throat nonchalantly as she did. She happened to glance further down, seeing a all-too-obvious bulge between his legs.

“And you said _I make_ it too easy.”

“Oh, come on. That’s not fair.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll see you later, _Commander_.”

\---

This end of the base felt slightly disorienting as she made her way to her bunk. It was still fairly early in the morning, though she couldn’t be sure of the exact hour. Luckily, she passed no one in the hall, but she could hear chatter as she trekked toward the mess hall. The noise felt like an assault on her ears, almost amplified. _Odd_ . The sound only grew more cacophonous as she entered the the room and she found her footsteps falling faster as she pressed on. Somewhere in the room, someone dropped their metal tray, a horrendously loud clang echoed through the hall. Immediately, Elan ducked, grabbing the metal railing beside her, almost flinging herself over the metal barrier. _Fuck_. Her heart pounded in her ears, her mouth as dry as a desert planet. The rush of panic was still coursing through her veins like a viper, the memories of Dantooine flooding her mind. She could almost smell the singed greenery around her, hearing the blaster fire surrounding her like a threatening embrace, the uncertainty of whether or not the next shot would blast right through her.

Elan struggled to catch her breath. Her throat felt like it was collapsing in on itself. A dizzying sensation toyed with her vision as she stumbled towards her dorm. Once within its confines, she crumpled onto the floor, breathing in as deep as she could. Her hands were shaking as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, gripping her shoulders tightly. _You’re safe. You’re in your bunk on D’Qar. No one is shooting at you. No one is trying to kill you. You’re safe._

“You’re safe,” she said out loud. The words did little to appease the nervousness in her stomach, but she was slowly regaining control of her breath. Her mind circled around the image of the man’s face, twisted into a sick grimace, as the barrel of his blaster rifle burned into her flesh. Another image of the man laying on his back as Poe aimed the weapon at his face and fired. She watched the light of life leave his eyes in an instant. Just one small moment and his existence ceased to be. That’s all it took. Poe moved mechanically afterwards, clearly not his first close call. _How many people had he killed? Did her ever feel this unwarranted rush of emotion wash over her like hers was now? Or was this all just part of his duty?_

Her knees shook and her tongue still felt too large for her mouth, but she eased herself to her feet and ambled towards the bathroom. She let the cold water flow over her hands for a moment before bringing them to her face, the water immediately feeling warmer as it made contact with her skin. Her hands with trembling, her heart still racing. _You have a job to do_ , she reminded herself. _You need to focus on that._

Work. That’s what she needed right now: to throw herself into a project, occupying her mind.

With another deep breath, and a slow exhale, she set out towards the archives office.

Although she all but sprinted through the boisterous chatter of the mess hall, once she was in the quiet comfort of her office, she found herself easing back to normality. Work was always a source of relaxation for her, although on Denon she had very few actual duties. The ones she had were often mindless and dull, most likely shadowing one of her father’s meetings or her mother’s pretentious banquets with horridly uncomfortable garments that felt like her entire body was contorted into a misshapen shell of a human.

The task at hand was again, transferring data from the holobooks the techs were able to decrypt and restore to an actual functioning database. The system itself had been designed specifically for her, something that she took great pride in to perform at her best. She tried her best to input the data as blindly as she could, the material was still incredibly sensitive and she thought it much too important for her eyes. The repetitive nature of the work was something she was grateful for, it kept her mind busy, and for the moment, her anxiety at bay. She had several hours to herself, most of which felt like a lifetime, but even the boring safety of her lab felt comforting compared to her previous days’ environment.

After what felt like felt like eons, with a heavy sigh, Elan leaned back in her chair, letting her arms go limp at her sides. Forcing herself to her feet, she stretched her hands above her head, an audible crack of her spine breaking the silence. There was a rapping against the metal door, further killing the calm of the room.

“Yes?”

The door slid open, revealing Poe standing in front of the threshold. He gave a small smile when he saw her, which she returned.

“Hey, you,” he quipped, stepping inside the office. He whistled as he eyed the stack of holobooks lying in disarray across its surface. “You busy? I can come back.”

“Actually I need a serious break.” Elan tipped her head to the side in attempt to loosen the tension in her shoulders. “Did you need something?”

“Uh,” he began, taking a few timid steps closer to her. “I wanted to talk to you. Just, uh, see how you were doing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look, we both know that mission did not end up going as smoothly as planned.” He leaned against her desk, propping his palms behind him. “I just want to make sure you’re handling it alright. I mean, it's understandable if you’re not.”

“You don’t think I’m _‘handling’_ it?” Elan crossed her arms over her chest tightly. If there was one thing she detested above all else, it was people questioning her judgement. Whether it was well-founded or not.

“Hey, I wouldn’t know if you were or not. We haven’t done that much talking since you’ve been back.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining. And I’m fine.”

He sighed.

“Alright.” He dropped his head.“I’m just saying, if you need to talk about it, do it. It’ll tear you apart if you don’t.”

“And I’m supposed to talk to you?”

“Of course you can talk to me.” He straightened his back and turned to her. “You don’t think I’ve been there before?”

Elan took a step back defensively.

“Elan, look. I know you want people to think you’ve got your shit together. That’s fine, I understand that, I do. But you can’t pretend like that’s the truth. You’ll only hurt yourself.”

He lifted his arms, placing them gently on her shoulders. “I mean it. Don’t let yourself burn out. Besides, I kinda like having you around.” He smiled at her, not his usual smirk, but something softer. Kinder. But there was pain behind it. Perhaps the pain of commiseration, but she could still sense it.

“I appreciate that.” She exhaled slowly, stepping back again. “But, really. I said I’m fine.”

His expression melded into something more like disappointment, perhaps a twinge of annoyance. This was one battle he looked like he’d already lost.

“Offer’s there. You know where I am.” He turned quickly, too quickly, and he boot careened into the metal foot of the desk, resulting in it shooting back almost a foot with a loud scrap and Poe nearly toppling forward. The sound make her jump, immediately clamping her hand over her mouth. A cold wave of sweat and near panic washed over her.

“Fuck,” Poe spat, righting himself against the corner of the desk. With a grumble, he took a quick glance over his shoulder, double-taking when he saw her face. “Hey- Elan, woah. You alright?” He immediately crossed to her and placed his hands on her shoulders again, this time a tighter grip. Her eyes were tightly closed, her hand still to her mouth. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, although he’d bent his knees to bring her his face level to hers. “C’mere.”

He pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. Her arm hung limply at her side, her knuckles pressed against her lips as she let her head fall against his chest. He was swaying slightly, one of his hands cupped around the back of her head. _Don’t…_ Elan blinked her eyes a little too hard and an errant tear ran down her cheek. She tried to turn her eyes to the ceiling in hopes to dry the remaining moisture in welling against her the corner of her eyes but she found herself useless in the fight against the delinquent emotion.

“You’re alright,” Poe said quietly, his fingers sliding through her hair. This was the closest they’d ever been, despite the numerous torrid encounters; the difference between their past intimacy and the closely of the current embrace feeling more raw and exposed. Poe was speaking quietly against her ear, what it was she couldn't focus enough to make out, but the sound was a comforting one. She allowed herself to take a few moments of silence, her heart slowing again, her nerves slightly calming. She hated the feeling of vulnerability; it was something she very rarely allowed herself experience. _You have something that's expected of you, you do it._ She could hear her father's dutiful tone clearly. Duty. Something she had for once, something she took very seriously. Elan stepped away from Poe's arms, wiping her fingers across her face.

"I'm fine," she announced quietly, almost as if she was trying to convince herself that the sentiment was actually true.

"You think I don't know how to recognize what's going on with you? You think I haven't seen it with my squad? You think _I_ haven't felt it? Hell, E, I could make a career out of pretending everything's fine. But you have to get right with yourself." There was a sternness in his voice, a soldier's tone. She was receiving a direct order. 

"I'm fine," she repeated. "Or I will be. I'm just trying to deal with... all of this." 

"Just let me help, alright?" 

Elan let out a breath slowly. Her eyes connected with his; looking at her through a row of dark lashes, telling a story of their own laden with its own pain and trials. 

"Alright."


	21. In which our hero contemplates a new strategy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHHH I'm so sorry for the long absence ;_; I'm still getting notifications of kudos and such and you guys are the best for still reading. I have a shorter chapter for you guys just so you don't forget about me but I PROMISE I'm not abandoning these two. 
> 
> THANKS FOR READING <3
> 
> PS: "Lucky You" by The Deftones is my recommended listen for this chapter, at least the beginning of it.

Elan stood there feeling rather foolish, pecking at a non-existent speck on the floor. Poe placed his palms behind him on the top of the desk, pushing himself up to sit in his adopted seat. He motioned for her to sit in the chair he was facing, which she meandered to, a look of apprehension on her face as she eased into the vacant spot.

“So, Miss Caledon,” he began in a voice that was akin in cadence to the higher ups on the command deck. “What seems to be troubling you?”

“Really?” Elan retorted flatly.

“What?”

“You really want to talk this out like some sort of therapy session?”

“Hey, I’m just trying to help out a friend.”

Elan eyed him inquisitively. Somehow the word “friend” stirred up a nervous feeling in her stomach. She didn’t know what the hell they were, but they certainly weren’t friends. She wrinkled her nose at the notion.

Poe slid closer to her, pushing a few documents and holobooks aside.

“Elan, I’m here for you, alright? I’m not just saying that because of...” his voice trailed off. “I just am, alright?”

The corners of her mouth twitched into a smile.

“Thank you, Poe.”

“So. Spill.”  

Elan groaned. Sharing was not her strong suit.

“I don’t know, I, uh,” she started, bringing her eyes briefly to his. He was already looking at her with a questioning glance. She sighed again. “That whole situation… I just felt completely helpless. I’ve never even _held_ a blaster before. If it’d needed to use one to save our skins, I don’t think I could have.” Elan dropped her head lower. “I felt completely powerless.”

 “Well I could teach you how to shoot. That's the easy part. Look, no one has an easy first mission. No one. Hell, if they didn't come back freaked after seeing combat, that's when they _should_ be worried. You did good, alright? I've told you that. Stubborn as a Wookie though. You should work on that." He bumped his shoulder against hers. 

"I could've gotten you killed, Poe," she uttered quietly.

Poe let out a small chuckle. "I've had closer calls. Besides, my mission was to protect you. I was doing my job. But you run off like that again and I'll have to start keeping you on a tether, not just in the bedroom either." 

 Poe grinned. “There’s a training bunker on the base. Get out some of that aggression you’re harboring.”

“You think I’m harboring aggression?” Elan cocked an eyebrow.

Maybe not scary aggressive, but, I’m just saying you’re, uh, _passionate_ when we were… you know.”

“Really, now?” Elan crossed her arms tightly.

“Maybe that’d be a good release for you. You in control, I mean.”

She felt heat rising in her cheeks she felt was glaringly obvious. _This is your strategy, Dameron?_ She couldn't help but wonder if this was a tradition with his fellow commanders.

“Of course, when I offered my services, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” He smirked at her. “But I’d be a willing participant. For the good of the Resistance, of course.” He slid his finger into the waistband of her leggings and pulled her against his side, slinging his arm around her waist. She turned her face to him, his warm brown eyes scanning down her face to her chest, his fingers slid up to the fastening of her jacket. "No reason not to get a jump on this right?"

Elan grabbed his hand tightly. "Did I give you permission, Commander?" A smile broke out across her lips, feeling childish and silly in her mock agitation. However, the look in Poe's eyes told her she may not have been as unconvincing as she feared.

"Yes, ma'am," he responded, straightening his back. "I apologize for the _insubordination_. Won't happen again." His tease on the word sent a pleasurable jolt to her core. 

"And if I ordered you to fuck me right now?"

"I am sworn to follow your orders." He smirked briefly, but quickly went stone faced, already committing to his role. Impressive. Her heart began beating wildly in her chest, Poe eyes locked on hers. 

"On your knees. _Commander_."

Poe obliged, kneeling slowly, lowering himself to the ground. His head was barely level to her navel. Elan lifted the hem of her tunic, revealing a hint of bare skin above the top of her leggings. His eyes traveled to her hands, eyeing them hungrily as she slipped the garment further downward, resting below the gentle curve of her hip bones. She snapped her fingers, breaking Poe's gaze on her eager flesh. 

"Now, for your first assignment. Get these off." She gestured to her leggings. Poe reached up slowly, sliding his hands up the outside of her thighs, tugging the pesky fabric down to expose her panties, Elan gripped the corner of the desk for support. Poe gently placed his lips against the inner skin of her thigh, exhaling slowly again against her skin. 

"Now these." 

Poe poorly hid his enthusiasm as he grabbed for her underwear.

Elan stepped back, clicking her tongue.

"I didn't say you could use your hands. Behind your back." 

Again, he followed her request. Elan noticed his hardness through his flightsuit already, something she had to admit she was proud of. Poe laced his fingers together behind him, bringing his mouth to the top of his target. The warmth of his breath against her skin raised goosebumps across her body. His teeth found the top hem and began to work them down slowly, so slowly, exposing more of her to him. He flicked his tongue over her sensitive skin, quiet moans escaping his throat. The remaining garment fell around her knees, leaving her lower body open to his advances. But Poe sat back against his heels. 

"What else may I do for you?" 

Elan widen her legs, leaning against the desk. 

"You know what I want, Commander. And keep those hands behind your back." Her voice was growing sterner, but considering this was her first attempt at such a thing, she was rather proud of herself. Poe inched closer to her, tucking his lip under his teeth as he neared her yearning flesh. At an almost painfully slow pace, he worked his tongue forward to part her folds, the warm wetness of it causing her body to tremble. Elan let out a small gasp, Poe uttering a moan of his own in response. He worked his tongue expertly around her clit, switching between gently sucking and fervid strokes. It didn't long before her hips bucked against his mouth, ecstasy slowly coursing through her already. She gripped his hair close to his scalp, bringing him even closer to her. His pace quicken again as she was dangerously close to her peak. 

"Let me touch you," he growled desperately against her. She looked down as his eyes found hers. "Please."

She could only nod as she began to breathe even heavier. Poe calloused hands cupped her hips, pulling her against him in a fury. Elan barely had enough time to clap her hand over her mouth before a loud moan escaped her lips. Poe's tongue desperately reaching into her, covering every inch of her he could. Feverish heat swept over her and she grinded her hips against his face, the roughness of the stubble around his mouth causing a maddening sensation, heightening every feeling his mouth was creating. 

" _Fuck_ ," she gasped, her climax washing over her, that deep, furious ache. Her hands gripped his shoulders,his hands the only things stopping her from coming apart at the seams. He panted along with her, resting his forehead against her damp flesh. Elan's legs felt as if they'd turned to jelly beneath her as she leaned against the desk yet again, harder than she meant to, sending a holobook off the top which clattered to the ground. Poe let out an exhausted chuckle as he worked her leggings back up her legs. "Fuck," she said again, wiping the back of her hand against her forehead. 

"Well then," Poe started. 

Before she could respond, the door to the office slid open, making them both jump, Elan quickly pulling her leggings up to their proper place and smoothing down her tunic almost impossibly fast, as her mentor, whom she’d seen perhaps half a dozen times in her time on the base, dashed in. _Of fucking course he'd chose now to show his face._

Dumping a large bin stuffed with datapads on her desk, he seemed just as startled to see her as she was him.

“Ah, Miss Caledon. I was, erm, hoping to have these input into the new system by the end of the day if possible. If not, then with the utmost urgency over the course of the next few days. Make this priority one.” He fussed with his spectacles, brushing his white frizzled curls to the side. He furrowed his brow as he spotted Poe, still kneeling on the ground.

“Oh, um, Mister- _Commander_ Dameron. Didn't see you there."

"Oh, Poe was just, um," _giving me one of the most mind-melting orgasms of my life?_

"Just picking up my mess. I'm sure Elan told you I was a klutz." Thinking quickly, he'd reached for the fallen holobook and scooped it up with that infamous bravado as if it was his plan all along. 

"Ah, no, she didn't but I wouldn't worry, these things are built to last." His jittery mannerisms reminded Elan of the round bottomed dolls she had as a child that wobbled in place as if they were in constant threat of being knocked over in the slightest breeze. Poe held the holobook up to her, smiling slightly, running his tongue over his bottom lip. She knew the taste of her was still lingering there, the motion almost threatening her to take him right there. 

"I think you can get up now, Poe. Commander," Elan quickly corrected the familiarity.

"As you wish." He eased himself to his feet, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Well, it was an honor to finally meet you, Mister-"

“Ah, must dash. Oh, um, Miss Caledon, I think your interview with Mister Dameron should be close to being completed, shouldn’t it? I’m sure he’s a busy man and has more important matters to attend to. Oh, you might want to swing by the medical wing. You look a bit flushed.”

Elan started to open her mouth to respond, but he was gone as quickly as he appeared. Poe blinked several times as if it would help him process the encounter. Elan let out a long exhale. 

"Speaking of close calls," Poe chuckled. "Think we look guilty?"

"Apparently _I_ look ill. You look more like the cat that got the cream and you can't stop licking yourself."

Poe hummed. "Oh _please_ use that line again." He pulled her mouth to his, twisting his tongue against hers, the taste of her sweat still fresh. "I do need to get back to the hangar though. Got some drills to run."

Elan eyed her desk, the heap of work looming in front of her. "I guess I should dive into this."

Poe tipped his head in front of hers, bringing her gaze back to him.

"Feel a bit better?"

"A little, yeah. At least my heart isn't beating out of my ribs anymore."

"Felt a little more in control?"

Elan nodded, wrinkling her nose. "Little bit. You follow orders well, Commander."

Poe gave a salute. "Doing my duties, ma'am. Maybe see you later?"

"I'll allow it."

 

 -----

Several hours later, with a surprisingly lack of distracted thoughts and a solid half of the work completed, Elan stood and stretched her arms above her head. There was an audible pop from her neck that made her cringe. The mechanical whirring of her office door broke the silence.

“Knock knock!” a chipped voice called out. Raissa skipped in and took a seat across from Elan. “Damn, E, you look exhausted. Rough day?”

“You could say that." She let out a sigh, hoping it came across as fatigue from work and... nothing else, as she attempted to organize her work to make tomorrow’s goal slightly more manageable.

“Uh huh.” Raissa gave a playfully accusatory look. “Heard Poe was visiting you earlier. So I take it this wasn’t _just_ an interplanetary tryste like you were thinking?”

Elan groaned and slumped in her chair. “I don’t know what it is. Seriously.”

“Don't you like him?”

“Of course I like him. He’s a great asset to the Resistance.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“I don’t know, Raissa. I think I do. But it just seems so… complicated. There’s a war going on. He’ll fly out on missions at a moments notice, I can’t expect him to have the time to deal with anything else, but he seems so eager to-" _please?_ \- "help. A relationship could cloud his judgement. I don’t want to be responsible for-”

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down there, E. No one’s saying you have to start planning the ceremony. If you’re enjoying the way things are, leave them that way. He’s sticking around because he likes you too. And for the record, he doesn’t think of you as a distraction.”

“How would you know?”

Raissa picked at a stray thread on her leggings. “I talked to Snap.”

_“Raissa.”_

“And Jess.”

“I cannot believe this. So suddenly this is community event, that’s great. I’m sure there’s some kind of betting pool going too. This is just great. Really fucking great.”

“ _Relax_ , Elan. As far as I know they’re the only two that know. Besides, there’s no rules against _relations_ between Resistance fighters.” Raissa slung her arm around her friend’s slumped shoulders. “Why are you so freaked?”

Elan exhaled sharply between her clenched teeth. “I just don’t want people to think that’s why I’m here.”

“Elan, you were selected for a mission. A fairly major one, at that. Sure, Dameron may be the reason your name was throw in but, hey. You did what you had to do and because of that, it’s given us that much more of an edge against The First Order. You did good.”

“Yeah, but-”

“You did good.”

Raissa pulled her arm around her tighter, rubbing her shoulder gently. “Now, c’mon. Let’s grab some dinner.”

“Wait, Raissa. Um, what did they say about me?”

“Who?”

“Snap and Jess.”

Raissa smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Please don’t make me ask again..”

“I’ll tell you over food. Hurry up, I’m starving.”

 

Once there was a sizeable tray of food between the two of them, Raissa let out a contented sigh, brushing the crumbs off her hands.

“Okay,” she mumbled through a mouthful of sweetberry. “So what did you want to know?”

“The general consensus, I guess. I suppose I should know if I’m garnering a reputation of being some sort of pilot courtesan or something.”

Raissa scoffed. “Oh please. The pilots are just protective of him is all. Snap, especially. Although he did say that Poe has had an extra bounce in his step lately. Well, more than usual. I think he's just worried he'll end up getting hurt. Jess let it slip she kept catching him grinning to himself like an idiot, so my guess is you’re behind that. She definitely likes you. ” She scooted closely to Elan on the sofa.

“Look, he’s got a whole team of people looking after him. I’m looking out for _you_. So, spill. What do you think about all this?”

Elan chewed her lip between her teeth, mulling over her tangled thoughts.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, things with Poe are good. Really good. I don’t really know how to classify, though.”

Raissa snorted. “You don’t have to input it into the archives, E. No one’s asking you to ‘classify’ it. I know it’s not my place-”

“You’re my best friend here, Raissa. Of course it’s your place,” Elan cut it.

“ _But_ , you do see happy too. You’ve handled a lot of shit. I’d be falling apart right now if I was thrown into what you were. I’m just saying, if you need to, you can talk to me. About anything. Poe, the mission, hell, the crap they served for breakfast yesterday. It’s all fair game.” She rested her hand on Elan’s shoulder. “I’m here for you, E.”

Elan placed her hand on her friend’s and to her chagrin, found her eyes were once again welling with tears.

“Thanks, Raissa.”

The two shared a smile, thankful for a quiet moment.

“So you guys fuck in the X-wing yet?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "And if I ordered you to fuck me right now?"  
> http://data.whicdn.com/images/82438163/large.gif
> 
> "I am sworn to follow your orders."  
> http://66.media.tumblr.com/80d86dc7806362a744056139d18419c4/tumblr_inline_noyq6edyIW1sc3ygs_500.gif
> 
>  
> 
> As always, open to suggestions/CC/kink requests ;)


	22. In which our hero needs a rescue of his own...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG Y'ALL AN UPDATE.
> 
> Seriously, I love you guys so much for still commenting and sending kudos out. If I could send you all cookies I would. You're the best ;////;

Once Raissa departed Elan’s bunk to retire to her own, Elan was left once again with silence surrounding her. However, she was reluctant to admit that the lack of noise was actually comforting. Kicking off her boots with a thud against the floor, she leaned back against the cushions, tucking her knees to her chest. It didn’t take long for her mind to drift to the clandestine tryst in her office, heat rising in her chest, creeping up to her ears. She cringed at the thought of her mentor stepping in just a few moments before he did, the bumbling reaction she would’ve likely had as she tried to explain just what was Commander Dameron doing in the floor with his head between her thighs. She snorted, then quickly covered her mouth with her palm, despite the lack of company that might inquire as to why she was sniggering to herself. Her cheeks flushed, a smile breaking out across her face. How the hell they wound up in their current situation she couldn’t be certain, although it was rather humorous that just mere weeks ago she would’ve gladly had his head on a pike.

Yawning, she glanced over her shoulder at the clock beside her bed. Poe mentioned stopping by later, but who knows when that would be. Sod it. Elan pulled her boots back on and made her way toward the mess hall. The room was oddly quiet, just a few small clusters of comptrollers and pilots scattered across the room. Fixing herself a fresh cup of tea, she scanned her surroundings for familiar faces. Oddly, among the groups, most were talking quietly, hurriedly, through hushed tones. Whatever was happening, it was serious. She chewed at the inside of her lip as she attempted to tune her ears to the closest conversation.

A sudden gruff voice beside her broke her concentration, making her jump, sloshing hot tea onto her wrist.

“Shit!”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry!”

Elan looked up to see Snap using the sleeve of his flightsuit to soak up the near-scalding liquid, assessing the damage.

“I wanted to come find you. Um,” Snap looked around quickly. “Let’s talk by the hangar.”

Elan’s brows furrowed as she followed closely on his heals. There was a sense of urgency Elan picked up on, something that worried her, this was unlike his usual energy. Snap stopped before reaching the large entryway, exhaling harshly.

“Look, uh, there’s something I need to tell you.” Snap wrung his hands together, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“Okay…” Elan crossed her arms. “Spit it out, Snap.”

“Poe went dark. Nothing on the radar, no emergency transmission, but-”

“What does that mean exactly? What- did he crash? Did he-”

“No, there’s nothing to worry about. Honestly. If there’s one thing we know about Poe is that he’s damn near unkillable.”

 _Near_. Elan bit her lip, fighting back the moisture welling in her eyes.

“Elan,” Snap said quietly, reassuringly. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, bending his knees to force her eyes to meet his. “He’ll be fine. You know, technically, this could cause me a pretty hefty reprimanding. You’re welcome.” He smiled kindly.

“Well, thank you for the heart attack, Snap.”

“Anytime,” he grinned. “I didn't tell you this to worry you. I just wanted you to hear it from me. I’ll let you know they moment he comes back. He always does.”

Elan smiled as best she could as he made his exit. The moment he was out of the corridor, Elan dropped her weight against the frigid metal wall, letting her back slide against it until she reached the floor. He’ll be fine. He’s always fine. ‘ _Unkillable_ ’.

Elan exhaled deeply. This wasn’t here. She wasn’t the type of girl to sit around anguishing over her man to come home. She knew what she was getting into a foolish relationship with a Resistance fighter. But somehow, these facts did not make it easier. Elan forced herself to her feet. She wouldn’t sit around moping. There was work to be done. She could think of all the bodily harm she could inflict on her pilot when he returned. That would pass the time.

 

\----

 

Nearly two weeks had passed and there was still no check-in from Poe. There was a buzz among the troops that he’d be captured by the First Order or flown into enemy territory. Voices hushed when Elan walked into an occupied room or the mess hall. Word had gotten out of the nature of her and Poe’s relationship. On occasion, she’d be me with sympathetic glances or a clap on the shoulder from someone she’d never met. Elan had tried her best to keep busy, taking up every project that came her way but even her mentor had lessened her workload., whether it was out of empathy or absent-mindedness she wasn’t sure. Raissa spent most night with her, regaling her with more tales from the command center and her exploits with keeping things as sane as possible, but even she was treating Elan with a softer edge than usual. The two sat in Elan’s bunk, sharing a bottle of Karaes brandy. Things had been almost too quiet on the base. Elan blamed it on Poe’s absence. He had a way of livening up the place with his wit and contagious enthusiasm.

“I talked to Snap today,” Raissa quipped, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Oh?”

“He said he didn’t want to bug you again. Thought you might hit him. He was wondering how you were.”

Elan gave a snort.

“Surviving. Like all of us.”

“Come on,” Raissa rested a hand against Elan’s. “You know we just care about. Poe means a lot to all of us. That jerk.” Elan smiled.

“I know. I just don’t want people treating me differently. They’re acting like I’m in danger of falling apart at any moment. I knew what I was getting into.” “How’s trying to convince yourself of that working out?”

Before she could retort, there was a loud buzz coming from her com box. Elan groaned. Probably her boss forgetting his access code again.

“Miss Caledon?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

“Yes?”

“You are requested in the hangar. Immediately.”

“You are so fired,” Raissa teased, grabbing her coat.

 

Elan made her way to the hangar, a tight knot in her stomach and a fear that the smell of the brandy was still fresh on her lips. If Poe had somehow returned already, she was positive there would have been much more of a fanfare. The corridor was nearly empty when she reached the pilot section and almost eerily silent. Why had she been called out here at nearly midnight? Elan tipped her head into the nearly abandoned hangar. A hand grabbed her arm, pulling her to the side. She pulled it away when she saw her assailant.

“What the _hell_ , Snap?”

“We got a hit on Black One. The com is down and the nav kicked on for just a moment, but it was just enough to get a track on it.”

Elan scanned his face carefully.

“It’s gotta be Poe, Elan. He’s alive.”

Emotional relief swept over her, somewhere between wanting to cry and wanting to punch him when they got him back.

“You called me out here just to tell me that?” The feeling was honestly touching. She was well aware pilots rarely got the chance to even process the intel before heading out immediately for the mission.

“Not just that.” Snap looked nervously around the hangar, placing his hands over her shoulders. “Come with me. He’ll fight to finish whatever the hell he’s doing if it's just me. He couldn’t say no to you.” He gave a playful smirk.

“So, I’m bait? C’mon, Snap, the General will never let me go on a rescue mission. I was barely qualified to go on the last one and look how that turned out.”

“The General,” Snap paused, lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. “The General doesn’t know. All she knows is that we’re gathering a team together. See that?” He pointed over his shoulder to an old Hawk freighter. “That’s what we're taking. There’s plenty of room for you in the freighter. No one would know you’re there.”

Elan chewed the inside of her mouth. “I don’t know, Snap. This sounds… beyond risky. Especially for you. I don’t want you taking the heat for some stowaway who could screw it all up.”

“Elan, we’re taking off tonight. This is it. You’ve got to decide now. I wouldn’t ask you to risk it if I didn’t think you could handle it. He’ll need you, Elan.”

Elan pondered the gravity of the situation. One more fuck-up could cost her her position on the base. It could even get Poe killed, assuming he was still alive and this wasn’t some elaborate trap to lure out Resistance fighters. The sound of heavily booted footfalls came from the corridor.

"I need an answer, Elan. Now."

She hesitated briefly, then nodded. Snap didn't waste a moment grabbing her wrist and leading her to the open cargo bay.

"There," he said, pointing to a large stack of oversized crates. "Get behind those in the corner. Stay low and don't make a sound." He gave a reassuring smile, something that lessened the anxiety rumbling in her chest. "We're gonna bring him home, Elan."

Elan crouched behind the containers, feeling the cold metal through her shirt against the back. She could make out the muffled sounds of the pilots boarding the ship, hurried steps and eager voices. The ship roared to life. Elan had to grip the wall to stop from faceplanting against the floor.

She really hated flying. 


	23. In which our heroine decides she's not just sitting back anymore...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOOD LORD ONCE AGAIN I'M SO SORRY FOR THE ABHORRENT DELAY. Adulting is hard, y'all. 
> 
> HUGE thank you to the AMAZING reader (who requested to be anonymous) who sent me the fanart of Elan and Poe<3 I love it so much. You guys seriously make my heart so happy. I promise that I'm going to try for more frequent updates. I've missed my babies ;_; 
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO if any of you would like to request a specific scene or exchange, I will add it and thank you in the notes, just because you guys send me the best notes and comments. I want to hug you all.

The freighter was a rougher ride than even the Lambda was, and every bump felt like they were in danger of dropping from the sky. The trip felt like it was taking eons, adding the anxiety of the situation. The metal floor was painfully cold and the space felt more and more claustrophobic as the journey continued. There was a heavy feeling growing in Elan's stomach. She swallowed hard in an attempt to suppress it, but her mouth was so dry that it did more harm than good, making her almost gag in the process.

There was a rumble beneath her, and Elan gripped the grated wall tightly as they descended onto a planet of which she didn’t even know the name or location. What if Poe had gotten killed by the time they landed? What if the First Order had seen the ship coming and unleashed their true chaos? Elan took a deep breath, exhaling it in a whistle between her lips. Snap’s voice echoed in her head: _“We’re gonna bring him home.”_ She could hear the clamoring of the fighters on the deck above fastening on their gear, checking their weapons. _ Poe better appreciate all this effort… _

Elan dipped her head low as they passed, whispering the plan of action amongst themselves. She admired their resilience and willingness to run headfirst into a battle without a moment's hesitation. She could hear Snap’s voice over the commotion. He poked his head over the stack of boxes, a beaming smile on his face.

“Hey, Elan. Comfy ride?” 

He gripped her hands and pulled her to her feet. 

“There was an extra seat up top, but I figured this way would be a little more exciting.”

Exciting,” Elan repeated dryly. “Snap, I don’t know if this was such a good plan. I could screw this up.”

Snap pulled a blaster out of his belt holster and held it towards her, unfazed by her sentiment

“Ever use one of these?”

Elan took the blaster trepidatiously, running her fingers along the smooth metal.

“Um…”

Snap sighed. 

“Well, the best way to learn is on your feet. That’s what I’ve always done. C’mon.”

Elan followed closely on his heels out of blasted vessel. 

 

The surroundings were lush with plants and vegetation, the dawn barely breaking through the treeline of the canopy. It was not unlike the planet she and Poe ventured into for their own mission. The forest was nearly silent, save for a few chirps and calls of the wildlife. Her eyes drew upward and she could see vast mountains, their tops blurred by the clouds. 

 

“We’re a few miles out from where we picked up the call,” Snap said quietly. “As far as we can tell, we’ve yet to be detected.” 

“Are we still in the Outer Rim?”

Snap nodded. “Rattatak. Usually a quiet place. Strange something would call Poe all the way out here.”

“Is it the First Order?” 

Snap shook his head. “We’re not sure yet. But whoever they are, they’re giving off some massive heat signals. They must have close to a hundred bodies.”

Elan swallowed hard, remembering only hearing about a dozen or so soldiers march onto the ship. 

“Snap…” she began.

“You need to learn how to fire that. Here,” he positioned himself behind her, raising her arms to level the sights of the blaster to her eyes. “Now that tree straight ahead? Gently press your finger against the-”

Elan squeezed the trigger, the shot veered to the left, pinging off a nearby rock.

“Okay… that was… not what we want to do. But, hey, not bad for a first shot. I’m sure that rock really had it coming,” he added reassuringly.

Elan groaned, dropping her hands to her sides.

“Look, just stay close. You won’t even have to use that. It’s better for close combat, anyway. Just take a shot at Poe when you see him so he knows we’re all pissed he brought us out here in the middle of the night.”

“Snap," she began trepidatiously. "He’ll okay, right?” Elan tried to add a hint of confidence in her voice, but it fell flat.

“He’ll be fine. If he was going down, he’d take the whole damn planet with him. We’re all still standing, so that’s a good sign.” He gave a consoling grin, Elan returned it as best she could. 

The two headed deeper into the woods, Elan having to watch her footing very carefully as sharp jagged rocks jutted out from the forest floor, Snap routinely holding out his arm for support. There was a crack in the distance, something akin to a large branch breaking off a tree. Snap pulled her down, crouching behind a fallen log, cursing up his breath.

There was a near silent whirring sound cutting through the silence, one Elan had never heard before. Her eyes were scanning the crowded horizon when she saw a brown speeder bike cutting through the undergrowth,  a soldier in a white armored uniform. 

“Troopers,” Snap whispered harshly. So it was the First Order. 

“What are we going to do?”

Snap mulled the question over in his head. “He must be a Scout. We can take him out, but it would have to be fast. No room for error.”

Elan bit down on her lower lip. 

“Or we can try to sneak past him. But if he sees us, he’ll radio to the Base and we’d all be screwed.”

_ Damned if you do _ …

Elan fingered the blaster she’d tucked into her belt. If she couldn’t hit a stationary target how the hell was she supposed to hit a moving one? She could just see the roof of a large concrete structure in the distance, which she guessed was likely their base of operations. Snap placed a hand on her arm, pulling her closer to the ground. 

“He’s circling back around. Elan, on my mark, aim for the speeder and fire. I’ll be aiming for the pilot.” Elan began to protest immediately, but Snap gripped her by the shoulders. “Elan, you can do this. Just fire on my command.”

Elan nodded, gulping hard although it did little to relax the lump in her throat. She steadied the blaster on the fallen log. 

“Alright,” Snap said quietly, aiming his own blaster in the direction of the mechanical hum rapidly approaching. “Steady…”

The speeder quickly came into view, Elan’s fingers tightened around the grip. 

“Now!”

Elan squeezed the trigger, the blast shooting towards the body of the speeder, tipping its balance enough to throw its driver face first into the ground. The man stood, blaster at the ready, radio in hand, as another shot rang out. The man immediately collapsed backwards, unmoving. Snap stood first, blaster still aimed at the fallen trooper. He examined the body, kicking the radio away, then motioned for Elan. 

“If he’s the scout, they’ll be expecting regular check-ins. We have to move fast.” 

Elan followed him closely, crouching as low as her body could stand and they moved through the thick treeline. The immense edifice loomed ahead like a pale behemoth. The knot tightened in her throat and she had to link her arm in Snap’s to not trail behind, her shorter legs failing her.  She began to hear voices in ahead of them and Snap dropped to his knee, cursing under this breath as he scanned the horizon cautiously. There was a loud chirp from the comm at his side. Snap jumped to silence it, but the trooper on the edge of the walkway nearest them lifted his blaster rifle, ready to fire, but unsure of the source of the sound. 

“Snap, you there?” The female voice over the comm chirped. “We found Poe’s X-wing. Its shot to hell but no sign of him. We’re setting up a perimeter around the compound.”

“Stand down, team. We’re looking at the entrance now and-”

“We?”

Snap’s eyes shot over to Elan. 

“ _ I _ am looking at least a dozen troopers. Took out a scout on a speeder bike, it won’t be long before they notice he’s gone.”

The trooper who had taken aim in their general direction seemed to have deemed the sound an innocent happenstance as he had taken to pacing along the perimeter again.

“How do you want us to proceed?”

Snap gritted his teeth with a strained expression. 

“Just straight recon now. Stay out of sight.”

“Roger that.”

Snap let out a sigh. 

“What should we do?” Elan asked hesitantly, trying to hide the wavering in her voice. 

There was no way they could make it through the troopers outside, especially not without knowing what was waiting for them on the other side of the heavy steel doors. There was a large shuttle Elan couldn’t recall the make of with its cargo doors open. It appeared that they were on the outskirts of a makeshift loading dock. Several more troopers stepped out, armed with blasters stepped out onto towards the vessel in a tight formation. Elan squinted her eyes. It looked like there were surrounding someone. She could just barely make out a figure in the center of the group. 

“ _Snap_ ,” Elan gasped, gripping his arm. “Snap, it’s Poe!”

He was clad in tattered, dingy attire and it looked as though the troopers had him loading cargo into the ship. He looked thinner than when she’d seen him last and near exhaustion. One of the troopers shoved him as he walked past, sending a metal pipe crashing to the ground with a loud clatter. Poe looked for a moment as though he would strike the man in retaliation but the trooper lifted the blaster, ceasing the action. Poe knelt down to pick up the pipe just as the trooper kicked it away from his hand with his boot. 

Poe stood, his hand balled into a fist at his side. Even from their position behind the tree, Elan could hear his voice, hurling threats at the trooper. Without the slightest hesitation, the trooper brought the blaster down hard against Poe’s jaw, sending him to the ground. The others surrounding the scene aimed their rifles toward him. Poe lifted his hands, getting to his feet, and lugging the metal fittings into the ship. 

When he was out of sight, Elan felt like a hole had gnawed into her stomach. Her eyes welled with tears, suddenly finding herself more afraid than she’d been throughout this entire endeavor. They were so close, but the terrifying reality was that one wrong move, one foiled attempt, would surely mean his death. She hadn’t even noticed Snap was speaking until he rested a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. 

“Elan?”

She shook her head.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“Elan, it’s fine, but you need to listen to me. You  _ have  _ to let us handle it. You can’t just go running in there. There’s too many of them, it’d be suicide. You need to stay out of sight. Understand?” He voice was stern, commanding, but still soft. Elan nodded in response, but there was a pang of guilt in her chest. 

“I shouldn’t be here,” she remarked quietly. “I could screw this all up. I could get us all killed.”

“Don’t talk like that. But I’d rather keep the body count to a minimum, if you don’t mind.” He offered up a smile. “C’mon, let’s meet up with the team.”

“You’ll have some explaining to do.”

Snap shrugged.

“Wouldn’t be the first time. You should ask Poe about the Twi’lek from Bestine. Now, there’s a story for you.”

 

The two made their way through the dense underbrush of the forest, careful not to step on any branches in fear of a loud  _ crack  _ attracting unwanted attention. They stayed close enough to the edge of the trees to keep the structure in sight. Elan tried to formulate a strategy worthy of her military colleague but kept coming up empty. The vast compound felt like it spanned miles wide and seemingly impenetrable. Somehow, it reminded her of the abandoned base she had investigated with Poe, with its far-reaching halls, colossal rooms and the near endless labyrinth of…

The vents.

 

Snap,” she whispered urgently. “The  _ vents _ .”

Snap gave her a blank look in response. Elan gave an oddly enthusiastic grin.

“Snap, I can get to him. That’s how I found the intel before on Dantooine, I can fit.”

He shock his head immediately. “No, no way. I’m not sending you in there alone. There could be a hundred troopers in there.”

“Well, then I’ll scan the place. Give you guys a better picture of what’s in there.”

Snap opened his mouth to protest further, Elan reached out and gripped his arms.

“Snap, I can do this. Let me be _useful_ for once.” 

He let out a dramatic groan.

“You’re just going to go running in anyway if I don’t, won’t you?”

The corners of Elan’s mouth twitched into a smirk. Snap crossed his arms, his eyes trailed to the compound. 

“The vents, huh?”

Elan rested her hand on his forearm.

“I can do this.”

“ _ Recon _ , Elan,” he stressed. “That’s all. Don’t go running in there, blasting away at everyone you see. You’re heavier than you look, I don’t want to be stuck dragging your corpse out of there.” 

Elan threw her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to do so. She gripped him tight, her eyes clamped shut. As she released him, she blinked back tears, giving his hands a squeeze. She gave one last look over her shoulder as she jogged towards the base. 

 

Snap kept a careful eye on her as Elan crept low along the ground towards the bottom vent cover. This vent happened to be much narrower and less maneuverable than the last one she’d crawled into, yet just as filthy. The screws were rusted and Elan gritted her teeth as she pried the metal away from the concrete wall. Her nails scratched against the rough surface, one cracking deeply to the cuticle. Elan hissed in pain. One final yank sent the cover tumbling to the ground, luckily noiselessly due to the mossy forest floor. Elan let out a deep exhale. " _ Let’s do this, kid," _ she remembered Poe saying to her from their last expedition.  _ He better fucking appreciate this...   _

 


	24. In which our heroes get reuinited...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeek apparently I uploaded the previous chapter twice. I'M SO SORRY. I'm definitely going to be chugging out several chapters in the coming week. Thank you all for being so patient<3

The vent shaft was much more narrow than she’d anticipated. She had to resort to shimming along on her stomach, her elbows touching either side of the metal confine. Each time she raised her torso in the slightest, her back hit the top of the vent.  The air was dank and filled with a rusty metallic odor that burned her nostrils, taking everything in her power to suppress a cough and ignore the scratching in her throat. The vent was so dim so she hardly see farther than a foot or so ahead as she blindly climbed along the cramped space. It wasn’t long before she began to hear several muffled voices ahead of her. She held her breath, straining to make out the words, as she inched closer to the next opening.

There was a metal crate blocking most of the view of the room, she could just make out . Elan cursed under her breath. She craned her neck as far as she could, but couldn’t locate the source of the voices. Elan pushed her face against the grate in an attempt to make out the space. To her surprise it looked to be some sort of seldom used storage and she could nearly see the entire room which housed several large, near empty, metal shelving units from floor to ceiling, almost all with rusted joints and tarnished metal. 

Elan carefully pushed the grate forward and slid forward, taking a deep breath of the non-musty air. Her back popped as she stood and she let out a groan as she rubbed her sore neck as she eyed the space. Tiptoeing as quietly as she could to the door, she pressed her ear against the cold metal, trying to make out any sounds or activity. She groaned to herself and rested her forehead against the door. The metal door did little to allow her any sort of audio clue as to her whereabouts or whatever was going on just beyond it. Elan would’ve loved to just swing open the door and greet the First Order bastards head on like a wild vigilante, but she quickly decided that would be in no one’s best interest getting herself killed this quickly. With a heavy sigh, she lowering herself back onto her knees and wriggled her way back into the vent. 

 

After what felt like hours of dead ends and claustrophobia starting to kick in, Elan told herself that even if the next room was the Stormtrooper barracks, she was diving in anyway. As she squeezed her way around a corner, the sudden sound of raised voices immediately halted her movements. She froze, listening intently to what sounded like an argument. . Scooting closer to the opening of the vent, she saw a long corridor leading to what looked to be the main bunker for the operation. There were easily fifty troopers armed to the teeth with blasters and ammunition. _ I guess they were expecting us.  _

A familiar voice reached her ears. Her heart stopped, her breath caught in her throat. 

“What do you think I’m doing? You keep spouting orders at me, I only got one pair of hands.” 

_ Poe, shut the hell up, this isn’t the time to be mouthing off.   _

There was another voice, garbled by a helmet, that Elan couldn’t make out clearly. 

“Alright, alright. I’m going, okay?”

 

Poe walked directly in front of the vent, a crate under one arm and a heavy looking duffel slung over the other.  _ How the hell am I going to get out of here without being seen? _

The building was crawling with troopers and who knows where Poe was headed. Elan knew there was no way she could get out of here and not be immediately captured. That only meant one thing. Biting her lip and running curse after curse over in her head, she began moving backwards as best she could down the airway. 

 

Elan returned to the empty room she’d seen before, hoping it was far enough away from the troopers for the metal grate to not make a sound as she forced it open. But to her astonishment, when she reached the room, the door to the hallway was wide open. She could hear movement outside in the corridor. She could just as easily keep backing out the way she came, report everything to Snap, and tell him to order in at least another fleet of fighters. She’d all but convinced herself that was the right thing to do when Poe’s voice reached her ears again. 

 

He came into the room, hauling yet another armload of cargo, and followed closely by a Stormtrooper, his weapon hung from his arm and swung by his side. 

“Y’know, a bantha would be able to carry four times this amount, and you wouldn’t even need to point a gun at it to make it do whatever the hell you want.”

“Quiet,” the soldier hissed, waving the blaster at Poe. 

“I’m just saying,” Poe retorted, grunting as he set the metal crate against the floor, just inches away from the vent.

Poe turned to follow the trooper out just as an airflow kicked up in the vent from a fan somewhere in the building, sending a cloud of dust right into Elan’s face. _Don't do it, don't you dare._ Despite her best efforts, she was unable to suppress the sneeze that erupted. Poe stopped, looking over his shoulder slightly. The trooper stopped as well, turning on his heel, just as Poe quickly brought the sleeve of his jumpsuit up to rub at his nose as if the sneeze had come from him.

“You guys should really think about cleaning around here. The dust could kill you.”

“Move it,” the trooper said sternly, ushering to the hallway with his blaster. Poe looked over his shoulder as he began to walk out. His eyes fell onto the vent and just for a moment, his eyes widened in realization. He looked into the corridor in both directions and closed the door behind him. But not all the way, Elan saw. Poe had shut the door just enough to stop it from swinging open but not enough to engage the lock.

 

Elan shoved at the vent as hard as she could and the metal screeched loudly in protest. The grate gave way, crashing to the floor with a clatter. Elan winced. When troopers didn’t come to blast down the door, she pushed herself out into the room, falling belly first onto the filthy floor. Kneeling down, she crossed to the door, peering out into the tiny sliver of view she had into the adjoining area. There still wasn’t much of a vantage point and she had absolutely no clue if Poe meant for her to try and follow him out or if he was coming back. Heavy footfalls echoed into the hallway and Elan barely had enough time to dive behind one of the newly added crates before the door swung open again. 

 

There was a sudden cacophony of noise, metal parts and tools scattered across the floor, one landing right beside Elan’s foot. If the trooper reached down to grab it there was absolutely no way she wouldn’t be seen. Her entire body tensed.

 

“Clumsy fool!”

“Hey, I’m the one hauling your stuff like a pack animal, don’t complain.” Poe’s voice sounded more tired and strained than she’d ever heard it. Suddenly, a hand reached out beside her towards the gear. Poe and Elan’s eyes met for the first time in weeks. 

She couldn’t quite read his expression in that fleeting moment. There was a mixture of shock and confusion, but for the first time, there was something else. Fear.

Poe’s mouth tensed, his eyes flickered in the direction of the the soldier, standing just behind him. 

“Problem?” the gruff voice called out. 

Poe cleared his throat. “It’s just going to take me a minute to get all this together and check for damage.”

“If there is any, it’ll be your head Dameron. Get that crate loaded and stored.”

“Roger that,” Poe responded quietly. The footfalls sounded again, this time echoing quieter and quieter down the corridor. The moment they were out of earshot, Poe grabbed her by the shoulders roughly, nearly shaking her.

“Elan, what the  _ hell  _ are you doing here?!” Poe demanded in a harsh whisper. “They’ll kill you if they find you, you can’t-”

“Poe,” she rested her hands against his arms. “Poe, this wasn’t me. Snap saw-”

“ _ Snap _ ?!”

“He saw the radio beacon from your X-wing. The whole squadron is here. We’re getting you out.”

Poe looked over his shoulder towards the door nervously, sweat beading against his forehead. 

“You guys shouldn’t be here. This place is crawling with troopers, this could get you all killed.” His brow furrowed deeply as he swallowed hard. He looked back at her with a puzzled expression. “You said the whole squad?” Elan nodded. “Then how the hell are _you_ here?”

Elan chewed at her lip.

“Snap might have… smuggled me onto the ship.”

Poe’s mouth fell open slightly in shock. But then, to her amusement, he let out a small smile for just a moment before shaking his head. 

“Elan, listen to me. You have to get out of here. I can’t let anything happen to you.” He looked over his shoulder again, but this time in the direction of the opening. “What the hell is it with you and vents?”

Elan was about to let out some witty, genius retort, but before she could, she could hear the radio static of a nearby soldier. 

“ _ Shit _ ,” Poe said through gritted teeth. There wasn’t enough time to squeeze through the vent and get it closed again before the trooper entered the room. In a rush of pure adrenaline, Elan grabbed the fallen heavy wrench from beside her and vaulted over the crate towards the door. 

“Elan-” Poe protested, but she’d already swung the door into the room, hiding in the crevice beside it and the wall. This time, it was an officer that stepped into the room. 

“Is there a problem here?” the man said to Poe in a commanding tone. 

“No, no problem here, officer.” Poe extended a finger in the direction of the open vent. “Think we might have a womp rat problem though.” 

The officer stepped forward in front of Poe, his back to him. Elan leapt out from behind door, slamming the wrench down hard against the back of the officer’s skull. He crumpled to the floor immediately. Elan clamped her hand over her mouth. 

“Holy shit,” she gasped. “Holy  _ shit _ . I didn’t think that would actually  _ work _ .”

Poe looked at her with proud amusement. 

“You better be glad it did. I could've handled him, you know."  Elan shot him a doubtful look. "Now, that’s one down. Just another whole bunker left to go.”

His face fell, suddenly looking impossibly hopeless. Elan took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Poe looked up at her, locking his gaze with hers. It took just a fraction of a moment before she was in his arms, her mouth pressed fervently against his.

Elan pulled away slightly for a moment.

"You taste like a grease trap."

Poe gave her a wink.

"You mean like a brave, rough and tumble rebel who stole your heart?"

Elan wrinkled her nose. Poe pulled her in for another deep kiss. Damn it felt good to do that again. They allowed themselves that few precious seconds before the officer’s radio gave out a staticy pulsing sound.

“Officer Cunne, what’s your position?”

Poe and Elan gaped at each other nervously. 

“Officer Cunne, respond.” Poe quickly smashed the radio with the heal of his boots, silencing it.

“We have to get out of here,” Poe said hurriedly, grabbing the blaster from the unconscious man’s belt, shoving him behind one of the larger crates to be hidden from view from the hallway. He scanned the room, already formulating a plan. 

“Elan,” he began in an intense tone. “I need you to hit me with that wrench.”

Elan blinked.

“It needs to look like there was a struggle. I’ll say raiders broke in again and ambushed us. One of the guys mentioned it happened before.” 

“You want me to hit you.. With a wrench..?” Elan repeated. “Why can’t I just punch you?” 

“I mean, you could. But the wrench would do more damage, making them appear armed.”

“Are you forgetting you’ve got a whole squad out here? They go running out there, Snap wouldn’t have time to call them all back to the ship before-”

“They won’t. The First Order doesn’t know shit about this place. They’ll assume it’s just one guy in the facility. They’ll be so distracted we could just stroll out the front door.”

“Poe, I…”

“ _Elan_ ,” Poe insisted. “Trust me. Just one good smack should do the trick.” He offered a mildly reassuring smile. “I know you’re wanted to smack me before.”

“Well, yeah, but not when it was a matter of life or death. Literally.” 

“Want me to count to three?”

Elan let out a sharp exhale.

“Okay.”

“Alright. One, two-”

Elan brought down the wrench quickly, striking him across the brow bone. Poe staggered backwards, the impact spot already bloodied. 

“Ow,  _ fuck _ ! We said three, Elan!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t want to lose my nerve!”

Poe held his palm to his forehead as Elan winced. 

“Now what?”

“Now we figure out how to get the hell out of here.”


	25. In which our heroes are in the hot seat...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snap TWO updates in less than a month?! This one is a *little* shorter because the next chapter will be, ahem, lengthy. (Wink wink, nudgenudge)
> 
> Okay, HUGE thank you to Ali, who took it upon herself to order the Poe Dameron comics for me, which is pretty much the nicest thing an internet stranger has done for me. Massive internet hug.

“Man, you really have a swing on you,” Poe remarked, wincing as he held his palm against his forehead.

“Oh, so _now_ you want to complain about me following orders?”

“Alright, you win. It’s not going to be long before they start looking for our friend here-” he gestured to the unconscious officer still crumpled on the floor. “Or he wakes up. Either way, you’ve got to be out of here before anyone realizes you’re here.”

Elan let out a dramatic groan.

“The vents again?”

“Get back to Snap, let him know the plan. Tell him to have a transport ready. Once I get the word out there’s someone loose on base, they’ll be so preoccupied, I should be able to slip out just fine.”

“And if you don’t?”

“Then you guys get the hell out before any shots are fired.”

“Poe,” Elan began, picking at her fingernails nervously. “I don't want to leave you behind.”

Poe stepped closer to her, running his hands along her arms and grasping her hands.

“E, look, you’ve all done enough. Your job is done. I’m not going anywhere.”

“But you don’t know that. They could ship out tomorrow and take you with them. We would never be able to find you and-”

Poe pulled her into a deep kiss, cupping her face in his hands. Elan closed her eyes at his touch, something 

“I’ll be fine,” he said quietly, a smile playing at his lips. He took the blaster from his belt and held it out to her. Elan shook her head.

“I’ve got the one Snap saddled me with.”

Poe took a step back, cocking his his to the side slightly.

“And you still chose to whack our friend here with a wrench?” 

 

The sudden sound of radio chatter and frantic footsteps filled the halls outside. An alarm sounded from somewhere in the facility.

“ _Shit_ ,” Poe hissed.

“What does that mean?” Elan asked, her pulse already quickening. Poe took her arm, nearly shoved her down towards the vent.“Poe, what the hell-”

“They must have been spotted the team. You have to get out. Now.” His voice was unsteady, almost panicked, which frightened her.

Elan positioned herself at the entrance of the duct as Poe reached for the blaster at her belt. He turned a few dials expertly and handed it back to her carefully.

“This time, don’t hesitate to use it. If it’s between you and them, make sure you’re the one to get out.”

Elan nodded as she took the weapon back cautiously.

"How are you going to slip out when they know we're here to rescue you? Their priority will keeping you as a hostage."

Yeah," Poe began with a smile. "But they don't know who they're messing with." 

 

“Poe," Elan started quietly. "Just... be careful, okay? Don’t go getting yourself killed trying the renegade act to get out of here.”

Poe smirked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Don’t worry. I'm not going down that easy..” He tipped her chin up with his finger, planting a soft kiss against her forehead. “I’ll see you soon, kid. Promise.”

 

Every muscle in her body began to burn and she navigated her way through the dusty maze of ducts again. _If I survive this, it'll be the cubicle life from now on._ She could still vaguely hear the sirens blaring off in the distance; assuming that since they were growing fainter that she was heading in the right direction, although she had no way of knowing what would greet her on the other side. The sudden eruption of blaster fire in the distance caused her to freeze. After an eerily short amount time, the noise ceased. She began trudging slowly forward, straining her ears for signs of more violence. Elan tried to replay the shooting instructions Snap had given her, coming to terms with the fact that there was a distinct probability she’d have to implement them.

The passageway began to brighten and the clear sounds of a battle rang out loudly as she made her way to her exit. Elan could clearly smell smoke as she inched closer to the vent grate. Someone, likely Snap, had pushed a large barrel in front of its entrance, likely as an easy cover. She hauled herself out into the humid forest air, taking care to stay low to the ground. While she couldn’t see any of the fighting close to her, she could certainly hear it clearly.

Sprinting across the small field between the building and the safe cover of the treeline, Elan looked desperately for signs of the Resistance fighters. I should’ve left a trail of breadcrumbs or something…

“ _Elan_!” She heard her name called out in a harsh whisper. She turned to see Jessika waving her hand towards her from behind a fallen tree.

“Snap gave me the heads up you were here. Funny, I had a feeling we had a stowaway.” Jessika gave a twisted grin. She had her rifle resting against her knee and her eyes darted across the perimeter. Her back was straight against the tree, her fingers almost twitching with anticipation. She almost looked excited, like she was designed to be a soldier. Elan felt immediately at ease in her presence.

“So what’d you see in there?"

“Poe, for one.”

“No shit?!” Jessika gaped. “How is he?”

“He looked… fine,” Elan admitted. “I mean, they roughed him up a bit and had them hauling their shit everywhere but the base, I wouldn’t even call it a base, it hardly had anything in it and-”

Jessika held out her hand.

“Woah, one thing at a time. You said they set this place up as a base?”

“Well, it looked like they had only been here a few weeks. It didn’t seem like a long term thing.”

Jess had a deep crease between her brows.

“How many troopers?”

“I’m not sure, it looked like a couple dozen at least. A few officers too.”

“They brought officers?”

“Yeah, I , um, might have knocked one out.”

Jessika grinned again. “Nice one. Heavy artillery?”

Elan frowned, feeling ignorant in the knowledge she was supposed to have been gaining. However, her lack of intel didn’t seem to be much of a surprise to Jess. She motioned towards Elan’s blaster.

“You can use that right?”

“If I have to,” Elan responded honestly.

“Good. You probably will.”

Another rain of blaster fire resounded through the woods. Elan ducked down as low as she could beside Jess.

“They’re not sure of our position. Or our numbers as far as we can tell,” Jessika remarked, looking over her rifle as if it was an extension of herself. “They knew we’d come looking for him, but I don’t think they were expecting us this soon. I don’t know how the hell Poe got that beacon off, but he’s lucky Snap caught it.”

A plasma shot rang out close by, hitting a branch above their heads, sending a clump of leaves raining down on them. Elan had to suppress a scream. Jess looked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, if they’d been aiming for us it would’ve aimed low-”

The branch just inches above their heads splintered into hundreds of wooden pieces.

“...Yeah, we should probably move.”

 

Elan struggled to keep up with Jess as they sprinting through the dense foliage. Jess ran with her rifle directly aimed in front of her, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. It was all Elan could do to stop herself from tripping every few steps, let alone run and shoot.

A few yards ahead were the rest of the squadron, hot in a firefight with the First Order troopers.

“Stay down!” Jess called out and she filed into position.

“Nice to see you’re still alive, Elan!” Snap belted over his shoulder. The rest of the team shared quizzical glances at each other, obviously unaware of Elan’s previous presence. “Get back to the ship, once we spring Poe we’ll meet you there. And keep your head down!”

Elan nodded in acknowledgement, once again the waves of nausea rising in the pit of her stomach. Her mouth was dry, the insides of her lips burning from where her teeth had nervously chewed against and her pulse was pounding in her ears. The energy pulsating from the team surrounding her in its raw form made her feel helpless and incompetent. Her eyes darted from Snap to the bunker. She could make out a handful of armed troopers a few meters away, crouching behind what little cover they had in the open hanger. From Elan’s novice view, the squadron had the upper hand in being prepared, but the troopers had them outnumbered them by far.

The sudden shove of a hand against her shoulders shocked her out of her stupor.

“Elan, get back to the ship, we’ve got it from here!”

She wanted to hold her ground and fight but every fiber of her being seemed to be begging her to run. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. How the hell had they been spotted? The plan was for recon, rescue if possible, but the idea that this was all supposed to be some kind of stealth mission seemed like the complete opposite of the General’s usual order, it was too risky, too uncertain. _The General_. The realization hit her immediately. Her eyes shot back to Snap.

He made a circular motion over this head with his hand, a silent command that his team understood as they began to spread out, surrounding the perimeter.

“ _Snap_ ,” Elan whispered intensely, crouching beside him. “The General doesn’t know about this mission, does she?”

Snap’s expression changed from one of focus to one of culpability and guilt.

“When I heard the radio beacon, I didn’t have time to… clear the order. It was now or never. We might not get another chance.”

“Snap, couldn’t that lose you your job?”

“Poe would do the same for me. For any of us.”

The sentiment was touching, but the idea that no one else knew they were here was more pressing. If this went pear shaped, if their transport was somehow destroyed, they would be stranded.

“Look, Elan, you need to get yourself out of the fire fight. You need to stay safe.”

“People keep telling me to ‘stay safe’ when I’m stuck in a pretty bloody unsafe situation that I didn’t put myself in!” Her voice came out louder than expected but the sentiment still rang true.

“I’m aware of that alright? But until we get Poe out, I’m in command. And I’m telling you, _ordering_ you, get back to the ship.”

His voice was stern, tougher than she’d ever heard it before. _Pilots.._.

Elan nodded with a sigh, trudging her way towards the direction of their transport.

 


	26. In which our heroes find themselves at risk...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeahhh I may have stolen a name from Dishonored (one of my all-time favorite series) so please don't sue me. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the upcoming storyline, you seemed to like the last semi-suspenseful one :)

The only other sound that reached Elan’s ears beside the distant blaster fire was the sound of her own breath, escaping her lips in heaving exhalations as she sprinted in what she desperately hoped what was right direction. Every muscle in her body ached. Too tired to dodge, she was being whipped by each branch she passed. She was almost positive she’d never run this hard before until she remembered the last damn mission she was recruited for. These two occurrences were enough to last her a lifetime, but for Poe and the others, this was their life. They signed up for this.  _ Bunch of bloody psychos _ .

Elan paused to catch her breath, resting her palms against her knees, gulping down air. An almost painful thirst was gripping her and her chest burned as she inhaled, a sharp pain stabbing into her side. Exhaustion was quickly catching up with her and she knew if she didn’t start running again soon, she’d collapse into the very ground on which she stood. Without warning, the violent  _ spew  _ of a blaster shot whizzed past her ear, so close she could feel the heat of the bolt against her skin. Ducking behind a thick cluster of trees, Elan had to clamp a hand over her mouth to muffle her panicked breaths. A Resistance fighter would never risk a shot that would miss the target by that far of a margin; that shot had to have been the First Order. 

Panic rose in her chest immediately; she wanted to run. She wanted to scream. Neither option would likely yield favorable results. The sound of a stick cracking close by caused her to hold her breath, her fingers pressed tight against her lips, stopping any sound from escaping. She knew her blaster was primed and ready at her hip, but the thought of firing it at the armed assailant was nauseating, even if it assured her survival. _ If he wanted to hit me, why didn’t he? _ Elan thought to herself, recalling the near-deadly accuracy of the shot. Was it a warning? A threat? Or was the soldier just toying with her, knowing her ineptitude? 

Elan sat as stiff as she could, her heels pushed her back against the tree as flush as her body would allow. The soldier had to know her position. There was nothing around her besides trees and open ground. She forced herself to swallow, her throat so restricted in fear she almost gagged. The silent was once again broken by the sound of footsteps, but there was another noise she could make out. Whistling. They were  _ whistling _ . Elan came to the horrifying conclusion that he was indeed playing with her. Her fingers ran over the blaster, unclasping the strap, feeling more and more like a rat in a trap. The blaster unholstered into her hand, her fingers trembling as she moved her hand and the ready to fire. The whistling stopped. The silence felt almost deafening, until the sound of a small click reached her ears. 

 

“Don’t move,” a gruff, cold voice behind her commanded. Elan felt her blood run cold as something was held against her spine, her guess was the muzzle of a blaster. “Stand up.”

“Which is it, don’t move or stand up?” 

A rough hand grabbed the back of her tunic, forcing her to her feet, and yanking the blaster from her side. Elan turned slowly to face her adversary, holding her hands up defensively. He was a tall, broad man with a gaze that cut right through her. Elan recognized the insignia plaque on his uniform: four red, four blue closely spaced badges with a black bar on either side. A colonel. 

“Where’s your transport?” he demanded coolly. 

Elan knew she could never divulge information that would risk the entire squad, especially with the knowledge that their location was unknown on D’Qar. 

“I’m lost,” she said quickly. “I got separated. I couldn’t tell you if I wanted to.”

The man let out a sick chuckle.

“You expect me to believe that?”

He was almost a foot taller than she, his blaster aimed directly at her chest.

“I mean it. I’m no soldier-”

“I could’ve told you that,” he smirked. “What is your rank?”

“I don’t have one. I’m just an archivist.”

“‘An archivist’?” He repeated in a humorless tone. “What brings an archivist to a rescue mission?”

Elan opened her mouth to speak, but he waved her off.

“Well, two hostages is always more leverage.” He gestured with his gun in the direction of the base. “Go.”

 

Every step felt painfully heavy as the two. She knew the fight was ongoing just a few hundreds yards ahead of their direction, but somehow this just added to her fear. All the officer had to do was hold the blaster to her head and demand  they  lower their weapons. The Resistance would never put one of  their  own deliberately at risk. _ Rock meet hard place _ …

 

Suddenly, she felt the man’s hand grip her wrist, yanking it behind her back and twisting it upwards. Elan cried out as white hot pain shot through her arm, making her almost double over. He pulled her body close to his, holding his blaster in front of them.

“Show yourself!” He yelled, his voice booming in her ear. To her astonishment, it was Poe who stepped out in front of them. His jumpsuit was torn in several places and his lip was bleeding profusely. Wherever he’d come from, he’d certainly had to fight his way out. 

“Alright,” Poe said calmly. His blaster was still fixed in their direction, but he held up his other hand cautiously. “Everyone just stay calm. No one needs to get hurt.”

The man twisted her arm tighter. Elan had to stifle a scream, tears welled in her eyes. Poe appeared calm, but his eyes flickered between Elan and her captor. 

“Drop it,” the officer said sternly.  “Don’t make me tell you again.”

Poe knelt down, laying his rifle on the ground. Elan could barely breathe. The horrifying situation was made worse by how completely out of place she knew she was. She was trying to stay as level headed as she could but she was no soldier. She wasn’t built for this. The officer turned his own weapon on Elan. Poe stepped forward instinctively. Elan could her the man let out a cackle behind her.

“What is she to you, huh?” His gripped on her wrist tightened, Elan sank her teeth into her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. The look on Poe’s face was almost murderous.

“Let her go,” Poe said firmly but in control.  His hands balled into fists at his sides. “She’s not a part of this. It’s me you want.”

“How gallant,” the man responded in an oddly amused tone. “You suddenly seem so compliant,  _ Commander  _ Dameron.”

“I’m offering myself up here on a silver platter without a fight, Jindosh. It’s what this whole thing was about in the first place. You want me, you got me.” 

Jindosh looked down at Elan. 

“Or, I could kill her right here and show you we take orders from no one. Especially not Resistance scum.”

“But you won’t,” Poe shot back, dropped his hands to his side. “You’re a reasonable man, Colonel. You wouldn’t harm someone who posed no threat to you. Which you and I both know she doesn’t. It’s just the three of us here. And you’re the only one with a weapon in their hands.” 

Elan could feel his grip loosen ever so slightly. She was grateful for the relief, but as the circulation kicked up again, pain quickly coursed down the entire length of her arm. Elan locked her eyes on Poe. She was terrified and the horrible ache from her wrist was almost unbearable. Poe was still keeping his composure, but she could see his jaw clench and his shoulders tighten.  _ Don’t do anything stupid, Poe. Please _ . She pleaded silently. It only took one wrong move to get them all killed. The squadron was within screaming distance, but Elan knew if she called for help, the colonel’s judicious nature would disappear completely.

“Okay, Dameron. Your intrepid actions tell me she means a great deal to you making her useful to me. Very useful.” Jindosh brushed the muzzle of the blaster against her neck, brushing her hair back against her shoulders, leaving the flesh feeling so horribly exposed. Elan couldn’t suppress her fearful whimper. “But I have to say I’m disappointed in you, Commander. You’ve failed to notice something quite obvious.”

Poe’s brows furrowed deeply in calculation. 

 

“It isn’t ‘ _ just the three of us _ ’.” The colonel let out a shrill whistle, making Elan’s ear ring immediately. All around them came the sound of broken branches and snapping twigs. Out stepped over a dozen troopers, all armed and completely surrounding them. Jindosh smirked. One of the soldiers gave Poe a hard shove against his back, making him step forward roughly. Jindosh finally relinquished his grip on Elan’s wrist. She held her arm to her chest, her eyes clamped shut in pain. Poe’s hand reached out for a moment before dropping it to his side again with a sympathetic stare. She understood that any disclosure of their relationship would just add to the leverage of capturing them together.

“Let’s go.”


	27. In which the stakes are raised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS ARE SO SWEET WITH YOUR COMMENTS. I'm been harsh with myself with my writing recently and the feedback has been so reassuring. Hugs/high fives to all.

The air hung heavy and dank around the trees as the troops pushed forward. Elan had her hand clasped against her wrist, the pain still pulsating through her bones. She wondered if it was broken, but her thoughts were scattered due to the barrel of the blaster pressed against her back. She took a sideways glance at Poe. He was nearly stick straight as he walked, shoulders tense, with an intensely focused stare. The concept of being a captive wasn’t new to him, but Elan could think of nothing worse. 

 

They reached the base quickly, quicker than Elan expected, although her legs ached as if she’d travelled miles. She had The surrounding woods were completely silent. No blaster fire, no alarms, not even bird calls. The troops had led them to a large door near the rear of the building, the windowless concrete monolith looking even more menacing from this side. 

 

“Stand aside,” Jindosh commanded as he stepped forward, pressing his finger against the buttons on the keypad. The door slid open, revealing a long, dark corridor, leading deeper into the tower. Elan gaped at her surroundings. The small section she was able to see before made it look like this was just a temporary dwelling. What she was seeing now revealed, to her astonishment, that the base had been established for what must have been months. 

 

“Take them to the holding area,” Jindosh directed the soldiers. The trooper nearest her  gripped  her forearm tightly, propelling her forward, while Poe tried in vain to shrug off the  grip  of the one that had  grabbed  him. The two were taking into an empty room, barely lit from a small light in the far corner. The troopers shoved them into the room before following close behind them. 

 

“Hands out,” the taller of the two demanded. Elan held her arms forward trepidatiously. Poe treated the demand as it was more of a minor inconvenience, letting out a heavy sigh as he did so. Heavy shackles were slapped down roughly against their wrists. Elan winced in pain as the metal slammed against her already wounded flesh. A nod was shared between the two troopers and one stepped out, the door sliding shut behind him. The remaining trooper gestured with his blaster in the direction of the far wall. Poe sighed again. 

“Guess it's time to get comfortable.”

 

Elan watched him cross the room, leaning his back against the wall and sliding down to sit with his legs outstretched in front of him. She followed him cautiously, still very much aware of the armed soldier in the room. Sitting down beside him, she rested her hands in her lap, feeling the cold concrete against her back through her tunic. 

“Poe,” she began quietly. He tipped his head in her direction. “I’m scared.”

Poe glanced up at the guard at the door, then back at her. “I know. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Elan. But you have to understand, they can’t… know. About us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if they knew, they’ll use it against us. We’re just two people fighting on the same side, alright?”

Elan furrowed her brows. She understood, of course. That kind of leverage was dangerous, especially in a situation like theirs. Hopelessness washed over her. 

“You two quiet down over there,” the trooper demanded in a muffled voice,  gripped  tightened around the  handle , but it remained un-aimed. 

“I’m sorry I got us into this,” Elan said quietly in a wavering voice. “If I hadn’t-”

“I said,  _ quiet, _ ” the trooper hissed, stomping towards Elan and pointing the rifle at her. Poe instinctively leaned in front of her as Elan winced away from the weapon. 

 

“She’s just scared, alright? Take it easy.” Poe’s voice was steady--to Elan’s bewilderment-- perfectly masking his own anxiety, if he had any.,. The trooper swung the stock towards him, knocking Poe against the temple, sending him to his side on the floor. Elan let out a strained gasp and a loud curse erupted from Poe.

 

“I’m not telling you again,” the trooper commanded. “Next time, it’ll be her. And it will be much worse.” 

 

Poe managed to right himself, sitting roughly against the wall. Elan opened her mouth to say something to him, but he shook his head forcefully. Silently, he mouthed the word “ _ don’t _ .”

 

They sat in almost unbearably tense silence as the trooper kept a watchful eye on  the two. Poe had relaxed against the wall, one leg outstretched in front of him and the other bent towards his chest. His brows creased deeply, ruminating some sort of escape, Elan figured. Her own body felt wooden and heavy with her legs tucked underneath her, sitting stick-straight as she always did when in a disagreeable situation. 

 

_ What am I doing here? _ The question whirled around Elan’s head as if repeating it would render some sort of change in circumstance. Even being in the direct line of fire felt more bearable than just waiting around as a hostage. Was she even a hostage? Aren’t you supposed to be important to be a hostage? 

 

In the midst of her evaluation of self worth, the cabin door suddenly opened, revealing a familiar figure: the guard that had met the better end of a wrench by her hand just hours earlier. Her eyes widened as his narrowed in  recognition . 

 

“You,” the man said in an almost petulant tone. His gaze was directly straight at Elan. From the corner of her eyes she could see Poe’s head snap between the two of them nervously. 

 

“Hey, listen-” he began before Cunne cut his hand across the air to silence him. “Elan,” Poe whispered harshly. “It’ll be alright, I’m won’t let them hurt you.” His hands twitched anxiously beneath the restraints. Elan locked eyes with him, gnashing her teeth together to stop them from chattering. 

 

“I’m afraid you don’t have any control over that, Commander,” the officer retorted with a smirk, as two troopers grasped Elan’s arms, yanking her to her feet roughly. The sick feeling in her stomach confirmed the glaring suspicion that he was absolutely right. 

  
  
  
  


“Where are you taking me?” Elan asking, trying her hardest to mask the wavering tone in her voice as they trotted down the narrow corridor. . 

 

“The Colonel wishes to have a word with you,” Cunne responded flatly. 

“What does he want?”

“Enough questions,” Cunne spat. “Stupid girl,” he added under his breath. Unexpected anger rose in Elan’s chest.

“How’s your head?” She asked impetuously. Cunne halted for just a moment, a belligerent growl escaped through clenched teeth before he shoved her roughly ahead of him.

  
  


They continued away from her previous confines, away from the intensity of the troopers and officers, to a nearly silent section of the base. The lights were dim, barely bright enough to see straight ahead. The anxiety in the pit of her stomach reeled again, making her swallow hard in protest. Once they reached the door of what Elan deduced was Jindosh’s office, the officer extended a fist and rapped his knuckles on the metal plated exterior. The door slid open, exposing a room Elan did not expect. It was a rather small setup, despite its large size; there was enough space for a large metal desk or control panel, but instead there was a long, thin, black table, a neat pile of holopads on one side, with one backless metal stool in front of it. Behind the surface, sat Jindosh, his eyes fixed on the datapad in his hand, a finger across his lips in concentration. Cunne said nothing as he released his grip on Elan’s shoulder and stepped out of the room as silently as he’d entered. Elan stood there, awkwardly shifting her weight from foot to foot with her eyes glued to Jindosh. The colonel hadn’t even acknowledged her presence at all and Elan had to wonder whether or not he was even aware of her at all. After what felt another painful eternity spent in silence, Jindosh slowly raised his head to meet her gaze, and to Elan’s absolute astonishment, he gave her a smile. A small one, sure, but it was a smile nonetheless, and one that made her immediately uneasy. 

 

“Please,” he said, extending his hand toward the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.” 

 

Elan inched forward carefully, unsure if this was some sort of test. As she eased into the seat, relief washed over her immediately that she was no longer sitting on the cold steel on the cabin floor. 

  
  


“I trust the officers are treating you with respect.” 

Elan raised her shackled wrists. 

 

“As well as can be expected,” she responded dryly.

 

“Well, perhaps things will work out in your favor soon enough. Now,” he began, leaning back in his chair and bringing his fingers together in a point in front of him, “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself, Miss..?”

 

“My name doesn’t matter. I’m just another Resistance womp rat to you, anyways.”

 

“Now, now. There’s no need for hostility. As far as I’m concerned, right now you’re just a young girl who was caught in the line of fire far from where she belongs.”

 

Elan scoffed. “How would you know where I belong?”

 

Jindosh gave the unnerving smile again. “Well, you say that you’re a- what was it? Oh yes, an ‘archivist for the Resistance.’ What a title you’ve created for yourself. What is it that you  _ archive _ , exactly?”

 

“Am I being interrogated?” 

 

“Does this seem like an interrogation? I have yet to see anything from you that merits such treatment. I’m just trying to see where it is you stand in all of this.”

 

“Fine.” Elan took in a deep breath, something she had just realized she hadn’t done in some time. “Yes, I’m an archivist for the Resistance. I’m compiling data and recon detail, for the, um...”

 

“ _ ‘Archives _ , _ ’ _ yes.” Jindosh chuckled. “That certainly seems like quite the undertaking. Getting listless of not doing your part, I suppose?”

 

It was more of a statement than question, but either way the fact remained his assumption hit a little too close to home for Elan’s liking. 

 

“What is it that you want with me, exactly?”

 

“That has yet to be determined. Although I am curious as to the nature of your relationship with Commander Dameron.”

 

Elan swallowed hard, a damp sweat coating her palms. 

 

“I don’t know what you mean.”

 

“I am not in the business of playing games.” Jindosh’s voice was still under control, but his tone felt unforgiving. “There were Resistance fighters falling in droves on the field, what would make an esteemed member of the fight come running after one little ‘archivist’?”

 

“He’d do it for anyone. Poe- Dameron’s not the type to discriminate when someone needs saving.”

 

Jindosh’s closed lipped smirk widened. “Is that so?”

 

“Yes.” Elan mustered all the courage she could in her voice. “Without a doubt.”

 

“I take you believe he would say the same? That he was just protecting someone that ‘needed saving’?” 

 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Elan responded tentatively, shifting uneasily in her seat. Jindosh must have noted this discomfort, as he let out a gentle sigh.   
  


“I do apologize for your conditions, Miss Caledon. I know it is not used to your usual lifestyle on Denon.”

 

Elan’s blood immediately ran cold. 

 

“H-how did you-”

 

He gave a condescending grin. “Your father is a well-known throughout the galaxy, surely you’re not unaware of that fact. I’ve shared the floor with  him on several senate meetings. He is quite the shrewd negotiator.” His tone sounded almost pleased, like they were old friends catching up. “What would Sergae Caledon say about his only daughter being held by the First Order on what I  _ suppose  _ was intended to be a rescue mission, albeit  poorly executed ?”

 

The mention of her father’s name immediately accelerated the nauseous lump in her stomach. She was well aware that several officers of the Empire had existed in the Senate, but she didn’t think there were any other sympathizers left after its dissolution. Her father had always warned her that loyalty does not simply fade with a collapse of an empire. If Jindosh knew who she was, what was to stop him from going after her father directly? Poe said he was a just man, but it was clear how far would even a just man go to prove a point, especially in war. 

 

“Elan.” Her name sounded foreign and unfamiliar coming from his mouth. “I think it’s about time you stopped playing Rebel and returned to a life more suited for you, don’t you agree?”

  
  



	28. In which our heroine has her world turned upside down...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, I could not ask for better readers<3 I'm going to trying cranking out these upcoming chapters in fairly rapid order in my own version of NaNoWriMo. ALSO I've made some gifs which can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/H206y Hopefully the scenes that they're mirroring are clear, I didn't want to do the direct quotes just yet in case you wanted to guess. Or whatnot.

“Here’s what will happen, Miss Caledon.” Jindosh stood, gripping his wrist behind his back as he casually strolled towards her. “I will arrange a transport for your safe passage to Denon, returning you safe and sound in your parent’s arms. You will forget about this silly little resistance of yours, and go back to the life that was laid out for you.”

 

Elan’s fingernails dug into her palm as she clenched her fists tightly. Did he expect her to just leave all that the Resistance stood for? All that she’d worked for? 

 

“Am I really supposed to believe that you would just let me go?” Elan retorted. 

 

“You will be relocated to your home planet. Considering you are not being detained, you could hardly consider this a situation from which you would need to ‘be let go.’” Jindosh leaned against his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. He gave a borderline sympathetic smile. “Elan, you and I both know this life, this isn’t for you.” 

 

To her chagrin, and despite all of her remaining energy, tears began filling in her eyes. She wasn’t a trained fighter, she wasn’t a skilled navigator or even a master negotiator. Even her title felt arbitrary and useless. She had to admit to herself, as much as it hurt, that Jindosh was absolutely right. This wasn’t her. 

 

“I will arrange transport immediately. We will get you back on a path towards where you should be. That is, hoping your Resistance  will refrain from shooting down a First Order vessel without checking for civilians first. I suppose we shall see,” he crossed the room to the door, pressing the code for the its release. “Return to your holding cell. I will allow you the courtesy of a goodbye with Commander Dameron. For what he has in store, it would be cruel to not give you both that chance.”

  
  


Elan’s brain was wrought with guilt and confusion, questions swarming around her mind like a storm. Each and every one of those questions seemed to have the same answer:  _ you don’t belong here _ . The walk back to their makeshift cell felt like she was in a dream. She couldn’t even remember if the escorting guard had spoken to her. Once the door opened at their presence, the metallic  _ swoosh  _ jolted her back to reality. 

 

Poe sat up the moment he saw her, an expectant yet worried look plagued his expression. Cunne was in the room as well, scowling in her direction as he walked towards her. Two troopers held Poe's arms to the wall. His hair hung forward in damp clumps, beads of sweat dotting across his face. She'd obviously interrupted some sort of interrogation and, due to the weather smirk on Poe's face, an unsuccessful one at that. To her complete alarm, he extended his arm and clasped his fingers tightly around her neck. Elan tried to gasp, but no air escaped. She gripped his arms defensively, trying in vain to pry his fingers off of her throat. Poe immediately got to his feet.

 

_ “Get your fucking hands-”  _ The trooper drove the hilt of his blaster mercilessly against Poe’s chest, sending him to the ground clutching his ribs. 

 

“Well, well, well,” Cunne began, a twisted smile playing at his lips. “So, you do have a weakness, Dameron.” He looked over at Poe’s defeated position on the floor. “I just didn’t think it would be so… obvious.” 

 

In one quick motion, he released her. Elan dropped to her knees, gasping for breath with her hand at her throat. 

 

“At ease,” Cunne smirked as he made his exit, the trooper close behind. For the first time since their capture, they were alone. As the door shut behind them, Poe scrambled to Elan’s side.

 

“Elan, are you okay? Did he hurt you? If he did anything-”

 

Elan waved him off, taking in deep gulps of air, attempting to avoid hyperventilation. 

 

“No,” Elan rasped. “He didn’t. He just…”

 

“Just what?”

 

Elan looked into Poe’s eyes, wide with fear, and looking impossibly exhausted. A large welt was still visible above his temple from where she’d clobbered him before, but his left eye was swelling quickly and several more scrapes and bruises marked his face. She wasn’t sure what kind of altercation he’d managed to get into in her absence but it clearly was a rough one. If she hadn’t…

 

“Poe,” her voice came out ragged and barely audible. “He’s going to-” Elan broke into sobs, hard, dry sobs, the pain in her throat sending bolts of aching pressure into her chest. 

 

“Hey,” Poe brought his shackled hands up to her face, held them there for just a moment before resting them on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s going to be alright, Elan. Just tell me what’s going on.” 

 

Elan sniffed, taking another deep breath. _ Out with it _ .

 

“Poe, he’s sending me back to Denon.”

 

Poe blinked, confusion apparent in his expression. 

 

“He knew everything. Who I am, who my father is. I don’t know how he found out or what he plans on doing, but he said he’s arranging transport now. I don’t know what I’m going to do-”

 

“Woah, Elan. Take a breath. Okay, so he knows your father. From the Senate right? These First Order higher ups have a lot of ears and eyes all over the galaxy. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had infiltrated the Senate. It’s happened before.” 

 

Poe moved his hand again towards her face before letting out a stiff grunt and dropping his hands to his lap.  _ They can’t know. _ But clearly, they already did. Elan wanted nothing more than to bury her head against his chest and wrap herself around him. The need was almost agonizing. The thought of leaving him here after everything felt like a betrayal. Almost criminal. 

 

“Maybe it's better for everyone if I do. Go back to Denon.”

 

Poe sat back on his heels. 

 

“Elan, you can’t be serious. We, _ I _ , need you.”

 

“You don’t though, do you? I shouldn’t be here, Poe. I’m not built for this. Every single mission I’ve been on I’ve screwed up royally. I’ve made a mess of everything. And now, with this, I could get you killed.”

 

“Listen to me, Elan-”

 

“Poe-”

 

“ _ Elan _ ,” he insisted. “Shut up and listen for a second.”

 

Elan nose wrinkled in brief irritation. 

 

“You belong with us. You’re one of us now. No matter how the bastards try to convince you otherwise. There’s no small parts here, E. Besides, I like having you around.” Somehow, despite their impossible situation, Poe gave her a smile. A smile that she could feel radiating through her entire body.  

 

“When I get out of here, I’m gonna get you out of there. I promise.” There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation or insincerity in his voice. When, not if. He was sure of it. Elan managed a weak smile at the sentiment, but the nagging truth was that nothing about this situation was certain. She couldn’t bring herself to tell Poe what Jindosh had said. _  “For what he has in store…”  _ From what she’d seen of the way the First Order operates, they were not in the business of making empty threats. 

 

Radio chatter filled the hall, alerting them to the trooper’s advancement. This was it. Elan knew they were coming to take her to the ship and away from all of this. Away from him.

 

“Poe-”

 

Poe grabbed her hands, pulling her mouth roughly to his. His lips burned against hers, the stubble of his unshaven jaw scratching against her face. Warmth flooded over her, allowing her an escape, just for a moment. The kiss felt desperate, with a disconcerting hint of finality to it.  When he pulled his mouth away, he gently rested his forehead against hers. 

 

“I’ll find you.” His voice was steady, unwavering. “Elan, whatever it takes, I’ll find you.”

 

The door opened and two heavily armed troopers stepped in, Officer Cunne following closely behind. 

 

“Ah,” the officer remarked in a smug tone. “How touching.”

 

Poe jolted back. In the flurry of emotion from their brief albeit intimate moment, they had forgotten that their fingers were still laced together, something that was now on display for all to see. Poe released Elan’s hand immediately, but the damage had be dealt. The officer pulled Elan to her feet.

 

“Cunne, if you hurt her, I will blast your beady little eyes right outta your fucking head and burn this whole place to the ground,” Poe fumed, his voice seething. 

 

Cunne strode towards Poe, leaning down to put his face dangerously close.

 

“That’s an interesting threat from a man in chains,” he answered in a voice barely above a whisper. Cunne turned on his wheels and brought the back of his hand down against the side of Elan’s face. If the trooper hadn’t had a decent hold on her arms, the force of the blow would’ve dropped her to the ground. The second soldier had to hold Poe back with all his strength to stop him from charging to the officer. Poe thrashed against his restraints, fighting in vain against the trooper’s grip. Cunne pulled Elan away from the solider and shoved her into the hallway. She could hear Poe’s shouts echoing through the chamber as her heart pounded in her ears. 


	29. In which our heroes are reunited...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, longer chapter here because I was so dang excited to write this bit. I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Here's a gif dump inspired by the story so far :) 
> 
> https://imgur.com/a/WY3C1

Elan blinked her eyes roughly as she walked into the setting sunlight outside of the base. The sounds of the firefight had finally died down, but the forest was now shrouded in an eerie silence. Elan couldn’t help but wonder if Snap and the others had to resort to an emergency retreat. If they had, it meant Poe was stranded here—at least until they relocated him as they were her. The thought of all the infinite possibilities where he could be shipped off to was worrying. Elan had to admit that there was a certain level of compassion in sending her to her home planet as opposed to being dumped and stranded on some foreign outpost. At least it was someplace familiar. Familiarity was all she could hope for in her current predicament.

 

Her escort, the trooper who had remained silent throughout this entire ordeal, lead her to the vessel that would be her way home. When she saw the transport ship, she had to chuckle to herself.  Although the model name escaped her, she recognized the vessel immediately: it was the same make as the one from her first expedition with Poe _._ Her mind whizzed back to their first encounters, everything from their unexpected kiss to the intense romp against the floor of the ship. The memories were so palpable she could almost feel the heat of his skin against hers, although the thought of them felt like ancient history now. Her mind was so far away from her current predicament that she didn’t notice the entry ramp ahead of her. The front of her boot caught the metal edge, sending her careening forward. Almost immediately, the trooper grabbed her arm and pulled her up to her feet again. The motion was so quick she’d hardly had time to process the action, but the gesture felt almost protective. Damaged cargo was frowned upon even in the First Order, Elan concluded to herself.

 

Elan was shown to a small, cramped compartment near the rear of the vessel by the equipment storage, a small view port at her side the only real source of light. Elan found herself thinking that she was getting quite tired of getting shoved between shipping crates _._ It didn’t take long for the shuttle to fill in with about half a dozen troopers, all armed with blaster rifles. _Seems like overkill for just one escort drop-off,_ Elan thought to herself. The immediate intensity onboard was nothing like the joyous raucous of the Resistance crew on the base she’d grow used to and, surprisingly, fond of. A dizzying anxiety washed over her as her thoughts jumped to Snap, to Jessika, to all the other fighters on the field. What had become of them? Naively, Elan tried to convince herself they’d managed to escape before the worst of it unscathed, though she knew this wasn’t the way war worked. Not that she’d become an expert during her capture.

 

The ship lurched forward, sending Elan’s stomach into a tailspin. With her hands still bound, it was futile to get a solid grip on anything to steady herself which meant most of the take-off was spent awkwardly bumping into the crates surrounding her. _I wonder if this is how BB-8 feels…_ Elan couldn’t help but notice the trooper who had led her onto the ship sitting the closest to her makeshift passenger seat seemed to be keeping a close eye on her, especially with each rumble of turbulence. At least, she assumed so as the bucket helmet didn’t allow for much eye contact, but his kept turning in her direction. Did he really think she was capable of escaping? Even if she’d managed to work her hands out of the restraints, she was still only one person in a cabin full of Stromtroopers.

 

Once the vessel was steadily coasting among the stars, Elan allowed herself to relax just slightly. The troopers spoke intermittently amongst themselves, paying little attention to her at all. She sat up as best she could, pulling her knees towards her chest and resting her hands on top of them, wanting nothing more that to stretch her arms out with a satisfying stretch but her struggle as hopeless against the metal clamped around her wrists. Elan let out a frustrated groan, dropping her head against the wall behind her. To her shock, the trooper that seemed preoccupied with her stood out of his seat and stomped towards her.

 

“Quiet back here, Resistance scum.” His voice somehow sounded different than the others. There was something less mechanical in the way he spoke, as though he said it with a smile. It was almost familiar…

 

The thought quickly left her head as there was a violent shake, knocking the ship to one side with a sudden force. The troopers leapt to their feet, barking commands frantically through their coms. Elan pressed her face against the small viewport and gaped at the sight that greeted her.

 

There were at least two dozen Starfighters in a blockade, pointed directly at the side of the vessel. The Resistance. The Lambda lurched again, swinging roughly to one side. Elan let out a quick shriek, having to grab on to the small lip of the window seal to keep from flying backward. One of the troopers-- perhaps the one that had been watching her, she’d lost sight of him in the tangle of identical soldiers-- grabbed her wrists and pulled her towards him. Elan went to yank her hands out of their grasp, but, to her astonishment, her hands moved away freely. The trooper had unlocked her shackles.

 

“What are you-” she began. Her eyes widened as the trooper raised a finger to the general placement of a mouth. _Shh_.

 

Just as quickly, the trooper returned to ranks as the pilot announced there would have to be an emergency landing. As the shuttle began to descend, the Starfighters began firing again. She remembered Poe describing the several blaster cannons the shuttles were equipped with, why weren’t the troopers firing back?

 

Almost as if it were on cue, one of the troopers yelled, “What are you doing? Blast them!” The soldier at the cockpit controls turned, a blaster rifle aimed directly at the fellow trooper.

 

“Back off!” The pilot commanded in a female voice. The others immediately turned and aimed their own weapons towards the pilot, shouting orders incoherently.

 

“Drop your weapon or we’ll shoot!”

 

“Uh uh,” the trooper in front of Elan said in a matter-of-fact tone. Her eyes followed his outstretched arm, his hand hovering over the emergency airlock release button beside the shuttle entry. “Blasters down or you’ll all find out the hard way if you can scream in open space.” The primed and ready blaster rifle was aimed at the remaining troopers. “Now sit down and shut up.”

  


Hesitantly, the troopers began lowering their blasters, one by one. Elan could only stare in dumbfounded amusement. What the hell was going on here?

 

The stormtrooper removed his helmet, and heaved a sigh of relief. Snap.

 

“Man, these things are uncomfortable.”

 

Without any reluctance, Elan threw her arms around his neck. The pilot stood, removing their helmet as well.

 

“Hey, Elan. Ready to get our boy back?” Jessika beamed.

 

“How the hell did you…” Elan stepped back, smacking Snap against the arm as hard as she could. The immediately pain in her hand meant she’d done more harm to herself than she did him, considering the armor, “‘ _Resistance scum_ ’?”

 

“That’s a funny way of saying ‘thank you for the daring rescue, Snap.’”

 

“Really not the time, you two,” Jessika called out as she hopped back into the pilot’s chair. “I don’t think these guys are the type to sit quietly for long. I’ll get us to the ground, you two keep them in your sights.”

 

Snap reached down, picking up one of the fallen blasters, and tossed it to Elan.

 

“Just in case-”

 

As he turned his back to the squad, one of the troopers grabbed for the closest weapon, aiming it at Snap immediately. The soldier fired, the shot ricocheting dangerously close away from Snap’s head. Jessika attempted to turn and fire, but the need to focus on getting them to the ground safely was obviously the priority. Another trooper scrambled for a blaster and the others shifted as though they were about to follow suit. Elan came to the rapid conclusion that if that happened, they were all dead. She fired a shot towards the floor, the recoil from the blaster kicking her back a few stumbling steps. The trooper cried out in pain and fell back against the floor, cradling his hand in pain. Elan hadn’t seen where the shot had actually landed-- she was aiming for the floor-- but the shot landed right in the hand of the trooper. Black burn residue coated the back of his glove, the idea of the burnt flesh beneath was enough to churn Elan’s stomach, but it was enough to make the other troopers sit back away from the remaining weapons.

 

During the excitement, she hadn’t seen that Snap had resorted to a full-on scuffle with the initial trooper, who now was slumped against the back of Jessika’s seat. Snap was shaking out his fist with a grimace.

 

“Let that be a warning to the rest of you,” Snap said through his teeth. “Damn, Elan, you could’ve blown his fingers off!”

 

Elan shrugged. “I was aiming for the floor.”

 

As Jessika expertly guided the shuttle to the planet’s surface, Snap filled her in on the details.

 

“Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen-”

 

“Snap, no offense, but I really don’t think we should be using the phrase ‘gonna happen’,” Elan interjected.

 

“Fine, _here’s the plan_ ,” Snap retorted. “If no one goes in blasters blazing, this should be a simple hostage negotiation scenario. We’ve got the four here, we’re just asking for the one of ours.”

 

“How do we know Poe’s the only one they have?” Elan inquired.

 

A sudden, unexpectedly grim expression came over Snap’s face.

 

“The First Order isn’t the type to take prisoners. The situation with Poe was more personal.”

 

Elan’s eyes shot over to Jessika, who had her bottom lip tucked behind her front teeth, looking as though she was in danger of dissolving into sobs. Elan’s heart sank. The thought of losing anyone on the loyal squadron was gut-wrenching to her, she couldn’t even begin to fathom what it was like for them.

 

“So,” Snap started again briskly. “We call them out, give them our terms, they get their guys back, we get ours. Everyone leaves happy. And, uh, relatively intact.” Snap nodded towards the wounded troopers.

 

“It’s no worse than what they did to Poe,” Elan spat with more venom than she’d meant to let out. She wanted off this planet. She wanted the bloody war to stop. And , dammit, she wanted Poe back. She wanted nothing more than to back in her shabby quarters on D’Qar, Poe and his squadmates being boisterous and daring in the hangar. But she could see the same thing in Snap’s eyes, in Jessika’s, that she’d seen in Poe’s: a war-ravaged weariness that even unlimited sleep couldn’t satisfy.  

 

The sound of the metal entryway being lowered shook Elan out of her sympathetic stupor. Elan could see they were further back from the base than when they’d taken off, but still close enough for a decent scout. Jessika scooped up the remaining blasters and placed them in the cargo hold.

 

Snap had grabbed spare rope from the supplies on board and was hard at work tying intricate knots around the troopers’ wrists.

 

“The team up top is on standby. They’re com’d into our channel so all we have to do is yell and they’ll bail us out. We’re hoping it won’t come to that, but they’re got our backs.” Jess tossed a com towards Elan.

 

“We’re assuming they know we’ve got you, but, and no offense, E, but we’re also assuming they’re not going to expect to trade you for Poe,” Snap added.

 

Elan scoffed, but agreed.

 

“We’re going to do this smooth, alright? We’re going to handle this like the rational folks we are.” Snap clapped a rough hand on the trooper’s shoulder, who’d only recently come to from the hit. “Hear that, buddy?”

 

The trio trekked towards the base, the trail of Stormtroopers in tow. In any other situation, it would’ve been a comical image, but the weight of negotiation hung in the air, dampening any humor the scene would’ve caused. Elan had to hand it to Snap; as she followed closely behind him, he looked completely confident, Sure, he may have been terrified, but he seemed to be treating this as just any other mission. She tried to absorb some of this tenacity and although she was still tense, the tremor in her hands had subsided. At least for the moment.

  


Jess fell back behind the troopers, her blaster ready and aimed. Snap placed his hand gingerly on Elan’s shoulder.

 

“Just keep following my lead. We’re gonna get through this.”

 

Elan nodded, swallowing hard before attempting to speak. Snap offered a reassuring smile instead, giving her arm a squeeze.

 

“Just make sure to give Poe hell for us. Don’t let him get off easy.”

 

Elan raised an eyebrow.

 

“I mean, erm. You know what I meant.” Snap cleared his throat. “Let’s just, um, focus on the rescue.”

 

Elan continued to smirk as the monolithic walls of the garrison came into view.

“ _Halt_!” A harsh voice called out.

 

Snap held his arms up and motioned with his head for Elan to do the same. She obliged reluctantly.

 

“We’re not here to fight,” Snap yelled back at the trooper on the ridge. “We just want to talk.”

 

“You want to ‘talk’ while you have a blaster aimed at our men?” Another voice shouted. Elan saw an officer stand beside the soldier. “That’s an interesting start to a conversation.”

 

“Look, you know what we want. Give us back Dameron and your men can go right back to raiding innocent civilian outposts and destroying surrendering planets.”

 

“And what’s to stop you from immediately turning your guns on us the moment we oblige?”

 

“Because that’s not how we operate and you know it, Officer-”

 

Snap glanced down at Elan.

 

“ _Cunne_ ,” she responded in a harsh whisper. Snap wrinkled his nose in response.

 

“Officer Cunne.” Elan noted he deliberately mispronounced his name. “We’ve lost enough people as it is.”

 

Elan could hear Jessika’s grip tighten around the hilt of the blaster.

 

“We just want this to be as amicable as possible.”

 

Cunne leaned over to the trooper beside him, whispering something in his ear. The soldier stepped down, leaving Cunne standing there, hands clasped behind his back, eyeing them carefully. Elan tensed, but Snap stood tall beside her. Several shouts were heard behind the barricade and the grating metal sound of the large entryway door being opened followed by the sounds of heavy footfalls. At least two dozen armed troopers stomped out of the base, trudging forward and forming a straight line directly in front of them. Elan took a cautious step closer to Snap, who held out his arm towards her to halt her in her tracks. Between the small vantage points of the space between each soldier, Elan could just make out two figures coming towards them from the base. One she immediately identified as Officer Cunne- the other didn’t need a clear view to recognize.

 

“Poe,” Elan remarked quietly.

 

Cunne was dragging Poe along by the arm, his hand still bound in front of him. Poe looked furious, angry burned behind his eyes. Until his gaze met Elan’s. His expression softened, then immediately transformed into one laden with fear. His eyes widened, darting back and forth between Snap and the troopers as if trying to piece together the fractured narrative. The troopers parted to allow the two to pass, then raised their blasters to aim back at the trio. Elan’s finger twitched beside the trigger.

 

“Release our men,” Cunne commanded. “How you respond to this order will determine in how intact Dameron returns to you.”

 

Snap looked over at Jess, whose expression alone was enough to make Elan’s blood run cold, but still, she nodded her head slowly. Beckoning the nearest trooper forward with his arm, Snap lead him forward, coming toe to toe with the officer, who immediately gave a smug smirk.

 

“Perhaps you misunderstood. The order was for _all_ of our troops released. Immediately.”

 

“And they will be. When we get ours back.”

 

“I don’t think you’re exactly in the position to be negotiating-”

 

“With all due respect, _Officer_ , I’m not the one with a small army ready to fire. We’ll take Dameron, release the remaining troops, and be on our way. Do we have an understanding, Officer?” Snap extended a towards Cunne. Elan chewed her lip nervously, so hard she could taste blood. After what felt like an eternity, Cunne gave Snap’s hand a rapid shake. He released Poe, who immediately took his place at Snap’s side.

 

“Go,” Jessika shouted at the remaining soldiers, who walked forward hesitantly, as if expecting to be double-crossed.  Elan watched carefully as they passed, the armed troopers keeping their blasters aimed directly at her crew. She couldn’t help but noticed how hunched Poe’s shoulders were. Not the usual confident posture that came along with bravado.

 

“I believe that concludes our negotiations,” Snap said.

 

“I believe it does,” Cunne responded in a self-assured tone. “I trust you intend to fulfill the rest our agreement.”

 

Snap held up both hands. “We’re outta here.”

 

As the two walked back towards them, Elan noticed Poe seemed to be deliberately avoiding eye contact with her. She couldn’t exactly blame him. He also seemed to acquire a slight limp in his gait. Snap snaked an arm around Poe’s waist to steady him, which he initially refused, but seemed relieved when the weight was off his leg. When they were a few yards away, Elan rushed over to Poe, draping his other arm over her shoulders.

 

“You don’t have to-”

“Shut up,” Snap and Elan said in unison. Jessika kept her blaster aimed towards the troopers, just in case they decided pacifism was not long viable.

 

When the four made it to the Lambda, Poe let out a pained chuckle. Elan let out a grin in response.

 

“Okay, she did that too, what the hell is it with you two and Lambdas?” Snap asked in mock irritation.

 

“Nothing,” Poe responded quickly, hobbling on board. Snap eased him into one of the empty bucket seats, Poe letting out a groan of pain and gripping his side. Elan winced, almost feeling a sympathetic pain herself.

 

“Get us up in the air, Jess,” Snap called out. Without a moment’s pause, Jessika hopped into the pilot’s chair, making the engine roar to life.

 

“I can’t believe they just… let us go,” Elan sighed. Poe glanced up at her then back at Snap.

 

“How the hell did you guys pull this off?”

 

Snap shrugged.

 

“What, you think you’re the only hotshot pilot in the Resistance?”

 

The Lambda lifted off roughly and the four breathed a sigh of relief.

  
  


Once at a safe coasting altitude, Jess locked the vessel into autopilot and jumped out of the cockpit, throwing her arms around Poe’s neck.

 

“Ow, _ow_!”

 

“Shit, sorry!” Jess said apologetically before turning to Elan. “Oh shit, I’m sorry, E. I should’ve let you get in the first hug.”

 

“Let her get in the first smack for scaring the hell out of us like that,” Snap retorted.

 

Poe looked over at Elan. He began to smile, but it was quickly stopped by Elan slapping him hard against the arm.

 

“ _OW_! Walking wounded here, guys!” Poe shouted, rubbing his hand over his shoulder.

 

“Seriously, Poe, don’t ever pull a stunt like that again. You do, and the General will be the least of your worries.”

 

Snap let out a humored whistle.

 

“Speaking of the General, she wanted you two to work on something. Follow me.”

 

Poe groaned again as he hoisted himself out of the seat, Elan following Snap into the lower cargo hold.

  


“So what’s this about the General?” Poe asked when they’d reached the bottom of the stairs. Snap scratched the back of his neck sheepishly while Elan shot him a questioning glance.

 

“I just thought, um. Well. You two. I know this was all… uh.”

 

Elan raised her an eyebrow.

 

“I just mean, I thought you two could use some time to, uh, debrief. _Shit_.” Snap slapped his palm against his face. “You know what I mean.”

 

Poe looked over at Elan with a coy smile.

 

“I’ll just be, um, working up top. Loudly. For at least an hour. Not paying attention to anything going on down here. At all.”

 

Elan bit her lip, feeling her cheeks redden.

 

“I’ll, uh, I’ll see you two kids later.” And with that, Snap shuffled back up to the top deck, leaving Elan and Poe alone.

 

Elan turned to Poe, crossing her arms across her chest. Poe let out a heavy sigh before leaning against the shipping crate behind him.

 

“Another Lambda, huh?” He remarked with a smile.

 

“Looks like it.”

 

“You know they were really popular with the Empire back-”

 

“Poe,” Elan cut in. “Do you really want to have a discussion about ships right now?”

 

  
“Why?” Poe asked, taking a few strides towards her, close enough to brush a stray strand of hair away from her face. “Did you have something else in mind?”

 

Elan turned her head towards his hand, feeling the warmth radiating from it and closed her eyes.

 

“You scared the hell out of me, Poe,” she said quietly.

 

“I know.” Poe dropped his head. “I’m sorry. Did they hurt you?” The last question had a definite intensity that made Elan think he’d turn the ship around immediately if she’d said yes.

 

“No, they didn’t. Looks like they did a number on you, though.” She reached up gently, cautiously trailing the trail of dried blood across his brow. When her finger reached his lips, he took her hand and planted a gentle kiss across her fingertips.

 

“Fuck, I really missed you, Elan.” His voice seemed strained, almost breathless. Elan pulled him towards her, her mouth connecting with his with more force than she’d intended, tasting sweat on his mouth but not caring in the slightest. Poe’s hands wrapped tightly around her waist, lifting her feet from the ground just slightly. Elan pulled her head back to catch her breath.

 

“Then prove it.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we get an amen for Snap for then best wingman (ha) ever?! Y'all better buckle up for the next chapter. Just saying. These kids have some reacquainting to do.


	30. In which our heroes make up for lost time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have any notes, this chapter is 99% pure smut. Enjoy. >:D

Poe took Elan in his arms, pressing her back against the wall, his lips clamped roughly around her own. Her hands traced desperately along his shoulders, moans already escaping helplessly only to be swallowed against his mouth. One hand gripped her face tightly as his other pulled her hips forward to grind against his. Passion burned between them, and Elan allowed her fingers to trail along his neck and down his chest, the feeling of his body against hers was almost alien, but the fervent familiarity overtook any sort of trepidation. As she began working her way towards the fastening of his belt, Poe took a step back, pulling her hands away. Elan’s brows furrowed in confusion. Poe let out several deep breaths before he spoke. 

 

“Elan,” he started, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want… I mean, I don’t want you to think that I’m-” Poe gave a frustrated sigh and rubbed his eyes as he propped his arm against the wall beside her head. Elan’s mind swirled as she struggled to back her breath. Her heart was still racing and she was unsure of where the conversation was heading. 

 

“You don’t want to  _ what _ , Poe?” She asked, more defensively than she’d meant. 

 

Poe pushed off from the wall, turning his back to her, pacing as he ran his hands through his hair. 

 

“I don’t want you to think this is… all I want from you.”

 

“What, sex?” Elan scoffed. “Even if it was, what makes you think I wouldn’t be okay with that?. She crossed her arms tightly. “Careful, Poe, I’m starting to think you really like me.” Although the remark was said in a teasing way, the almost wounded look Poe gave in response cut deeply. 

 

“That’s what I mean, Elan. That’s not what this is to me.”

 

“What is it then?” Elan murmured almost inaudibly.

 

Poe turned back to face her, his eyes fixated on hers. 

 

“I don’t know. But just know that the thought of you with those bastards...” Poe turned away again, his jaw clenched in anger. Elan stepped forward, placing her hand gently against his shoulder. 

 

“Poe, I’m okay.”

 

He let out a harsh chuckle in response.

 

“Just because they didn’t hurt you doesn’t mean you’re  _ ‘fine _ . _ ’ _ It creeps up on you. Especially when you least expect it.”

 

Elan glanced down and noticed Poe’s hands were clenched tightly into fists.

 

“Poe…” she began. 

 

“Elan, don’t you understand?”

 

“Understand what?”

 

“The thought of them hurting you, doing  _ anything  _ to you, and me not being there to protect you… I’m not used to feeling helpless. I’m not used to feeling....  _ this  _ for anyone. But the thought of you in danger is the only time I feel-” he took a deep breath. Elan eyed him intently. “afraid.” 

 

Elan stepped in front of him, placing her hands on either side of his face, complete with cuts and a blackened eye. 

 

“I’m right here, Poe. I’m safe. With you. I’m not going anywhere.” She pulled him to her again, pressing her lips to his. She had expected the kiss to convey the same intensity as their conversation had, instead Poe let his mouth open slowly against her, allowing the kiss to deepen as his fingers tangled through her hair. He trailed his finger down her spine with a touch so delicate as though she was at risk of breaking. He reached down, gripping her legs and lifting her from the ground as her legs wrapped around his waist, letting out a quick sound of pain as Elan’s leg collided with his likely broken ribs.

 

“Sorry!” Elan gasped, suddenly feeling guilty. Poe shook his head.

 

“No, it’s fine,” he said between gritted teeth. “I’ve had worse.” Poe gently laid her back against the wall, pulling his face away from hers just slightly.

 

“Elan, are you, are you sure you want to do this?” Poe’s voice was steady, but Elan could’ve sworn she felt a slight tremble in his arms. She pondered the question for a moment, a smile tugging at her lips that she was hopeless in fighting back. 

 

“Yes,” Elan responded, almost breathlessly. 

 

“Thank fuck,” Poe breathed, devouring her mouth instantly. His knee was propping her body against the wall and the pressure pressing between her legs was tormenting. Poe made his way down her neck with his lips as she turned her head, opening herself completely to him. It certainly felt as though they were making up for lost time, but Elan knew there wasn’t exactly unlimited privacy or time here. 

 

“Poe,” she moaned. “We need to hurry.”

 

He smirked against her shoulder, running his tongue slowly against her collarbone. 

 

“We’ve got all the time in the world.”

 

Poe slipped his hand into the front of her leggings, teasing her mercilessly, savoring the wetness that had collected there. She could feel him getting harder and harder with every tormenting stroke. Her body was shaking with anticipation as his fingers danced everywhere except her clit. The craving was almost ravenous, yearning was aching instead of her and just as she was sure she would explode, Poe pulsed his finger directly across her clit, causing her to cry out immediately. Poe’s finger twirled and stroked expertly against her, reveling in every satisfying moan that escaped her mouth. Her fingers were digging into his shoulders, the only thing stopping her from dissolving into a heap on the floor. She could feel herself coming undone just as Poe plunged a finger deep inside of her, making her gasp in response.

 

Knowing the effect it had on him the last time, Elan forced her eyes open and locked them with his own. His eyes widened ever so slightly, his mouth open with intense focus. Her hips moved in rhythm to his fingers and although she was getting close, she would’ve done anything to make the moment linger as long as she could muster. Sensing her rising arousal, Poe slowly retracted his hand, eliciting a disappointed groan from Elan. 

 

“I  _ really  _ missed you,” Poe said with a tired smirk, setting her feet gently back on the ground. Sweat was already dotting her face and neck, her fingers sore from her grip on him. Poe eased himself down to his knees, Elan felt a sharp jolt of excitement course through her body. Slowly, painfully slowly, he began to pull her leggings down to her ankles, planting soft kisses against the newly exposed flesh as he did. He dared to lock eyes with her as his fingers gently slid along her slick folds, a pleased smile twisted his mouth when she let out a gasp as he reached her clit. Her legs had begun to shudder, her knees feeling weak as if suddenly intoxicated. She tried to say his name, but the words were lost to a moan as his tongue found her entrance, exploring every inch of her thoroughly and meticulously. Poe himself began to moan, the vibration of the sound against her shot electricity into her very core, as she gripped his hair tightly to steady herself. He inserted a finger into her, causing a fresh wave of pleasure to ripple through her body. She was dangerously close to her peak, Poe’s tongue ravishing every inch of her, taking pleasure in knowing he was at fault for her undoing. Each movement became more intense, more urgent, as Elan began to writhe against his mouth, no longer bothering to attempt silencing her moans. The heat building in her core was almost overwhelming.  She arched her back deeply, giving him deeper access to her sensitive flesh. His tongue undulated against her clit ruthlessly, sending her over the end in rapturous waves of feverish pleasure. 

 

Panting, Elan let her body slowly relax against the wall behind her, her legs trembling as the euphoria of her orgasm worked its way through her system. Her skin felt electric, and damp with sweat. Poe stood slowly as he wiped his mouth against his sleeve with a languid, yet triumphant smirk. Elan clamped her hand over her eyes and let out a fatigued chuckle. He nestled his head in the crook of her neck, pulling her body against his. The roughness of his clothes against her bare skin broke her out of her stupor slightly as Poe’s hands roamed their way up her thighs to her waist, gently rubbing his thumbs against the outline of her hipbones. 

 

Once she’d regained her composure and her heart had stopped pounding out of her chest, Elan rested her palms on Poe’s shoulders, tucking her lip behind her teeth and letting out a contented sigh which he returned in a playfully mocking tone with a smile. 

 

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” Poe crooned against her ear. Somehow, despite everything he’d just done to her, Elan found her cheeks reddening at the statement. Poe let out a feigned gasp of shock.

 

“Why, Miss Caledon, are you  _ blushing _ ?”

 

Elan moved to smack him  on the arm but he caught her hands and pinning them behind her back.

 

“I had no idea you were such a prude. Oh that’s right, women are expected to keep their composure on Denon. How  _ barbaric  _ of me.” Poe dragged his teeth along her neck, gently sucking and nipping, causing goosebumps to rise across her skin, tickling her flesh with the stubble of his beard. Elan let out a half shriek of a laugh, hopelessly trying to wriggle out of his grasp. Poe pulled back enough to touch the tip of his nose to hers. When he looked into her eyes, Elan had to take a moment to catch her breath. Those dark eyes had such an intense earnestness she was unprepared for, but something she generated sudden inspiration. 

 

Keeping her gaze fixed intently on his face, Elan slowly lowered herself to her knees, undoing the fastener of his trousers. 

 

“Elan…” Poe began, resting his hands on her fingers, slightly trembling again. Elan gave him a smirk. 

 

“Now who’s blushing?”

 

She lowered his pants enough to reveal just a hint of the bulging mass that greeted her. She glanced back up at him, pleased to see his mouth was slightly open already in anticipation. Letting the fabric drop to the floor to expose himself entirely to her, his erection looking almost achingly hard. Elan bit her lip as she eyed him hungrily, feeling his eyes burning through her. She gripped him gently and ran her tongue along the tip of his cock, jumping slightly as Poe let out a rumbling moan. She took him deeper into her mouth, running her tongue along the length of his shaft, taking a hedonistic gratification in hearing his breaths already becoming ragged and strained. Poe placed a palm against the wall in front of him to steady himself as Elan continued to work her mouth around him. She twirled her tongue around his tip, feeling his cock pulse against the roof of her mouth. Knowing he was getting close to his release, she sucked hard, her cheeks hollowing against his skin.

 

“Get up here,” Poe whispered hoarsely, pulling her to her feet. He locked his mouth against hers, desperate fingers trailing to her clit still wet from his mouth and her arousal. Elan lifted her leg as Poe gripped her hip to pull her close. She could feel his cock throbbing against her entrance, rigid and hot. As if on cue, they both rushed to tug their bothersome shirts over their heads, Poe pausing to take in her naked form as she stood completely exposed in front of him. He trailed a finger down painfully slow from her neck, encircling her nipple, then down to her navel. Breathing heavily, he gradually lowered his hand, grasping his length and guiding it closer towards her opening. He looked up at Elan, almost questioningly, unsure whether or not to proceed. She nodded hurriedly in response.

 

“ _ Please _ ,” she pleaded.

 

Poe let out a low moan as he entered her, her warm, wet skin welcoming him entirely. Elan let her head tip back, the euphoric feeling of him being finally inside her felt exhilarating and strangely reinvigorating. The fatigue in her body from her previous orgasm had gone entirely as she rocked her hips against him, his cock filling her completely, her walls stretching to accommodate his length. Poe’s thrusts against her quickened as Elan’s moans echoed in the chamber. She dug her nails into his shoulders as he pulled back just enough to gauge her reaction as he hasten his pace yet again with an intense, deep plunge. Her back slammed against the wall behind her Elan letting out a harsh gasp, and Poe stopped quickly, looking concerned.

 

“Was that too hard?” Poe asked breathlessly. Elan shook her head fervently as she bit her lip.

 

“No,” she said, swallowing back another throaty moan. “It was perfect.”

 

Poe didn’t need to be told twice, he entered her forcefully again, letting out a deep grunt of his own. The sudden rush was almost painful, but Elan relished the feeling of him so deep inside of her. 

 

“Sit down,” Elan breathed, motioning to the hip level crate beside them. 

 

Panting but obliging, Poe lowered himself to sit on the edge of the container, slipping himself out of her gently. Elan straddled his legs and lowered herself onto his lap, grasping his cock in her hands, almost feeling embarrassed at the feeling of her wetness saturating it, but Poe obviously made no objection. He reached forward, placing his fingertips against her clit, watching her mouth intently as she made quick gasping breaths. Pulling herself forward immediately, pushing him inside her again caused them both to cry out, sending a jolt of pleasure coursing through her veins. Elan bucked her hips against him with all the force she could muster, a deep ache rising in her core. Poe leaned forward, tipping her backwards with his hands supporting her back. The fresh angle caused his shaft to stroke her clit with every thrust and Elan knew her peak was imminent. 

 

“Poe,” she rasped against his ear. “ _ Harder _ .”

 

Poe leaned forward again, this time lifting her up before setting her back against the floor, their forgotten garments creating a makeshift bed beneath them. He sat up on his knees, pulling Elan’s legs toward him, her back arching deeply to take him completely inside of her. The muscles of his chest and torso flexed with every thrust, giving Elan a delectable view. The head of his cock hit the perfect spot deep inside of her, sending her over the edge almost immediately. Her fists gripping the cloth beneath her, her entire body trembled against his, hopelessly spasming with the strength of the orgasm pulsating through every muscle in her being and she could swear she was seeing stars. She could feel him release inside of her with an intense shudder and satisfying moan, his grip tightening around her hips to keep himself firmly inside of her and cursing between cries of pleasure. 

 

The only sounds in the compartment were that of their ragged breaths and the dull hum of the shuttle’s engine. Poe leaned forward, collapsing to his elbows on either side of her head, panting as he rested his head against the refreshing cold metal of the floor. Elan’s eyes gazed up to the ceiling, unfocused, as she basked in the euphoric afterglow, trying in vain to get a good deep breath into her lungs. Her body felt liquid, almost boneless, and there was a numb tingle in her extremities. The heat from the rush of passion was beginning to dissipate and the cold air from the non-insulated compartment began to turn the dampness of her skin cool. Elan traced a line down Poe back, following his spine, and feeling the muscles begin to relax. A small smile came across her lips as she allowed her legs to go limp around him. Poe turned his face to hers, resting his forehead against the side of his face, swallowing several times before attempting to speak.

 

Elan,” he started in an exhausted voice. “That was…that was-”

 

“Ineffable?” Elan suggested, her smile widening into a grin.

 

“Sure,” Poe said with a smile. “‘Ineffable’,” he repeated. 

 

“You know,” he began again. “I really fucking missed you.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO... y'all need a drink?


	31. In which our heroes are not exactly inconspicuous...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap you guys The Last Jedi comes in less than two weeks! Are you guys amped?! Because I am 100% amped. 
> 
> Here's another update for you guys! I'm glad I get to write these two together again. I missed it.

The sudden sound of an overly exaggerated cough sent Poe and Elan scrambling for their clothes. Elan had to make a second attempt at donning her leggings upon noticing they were inside-out. She let out her frustration with a dramatic groan as she tugged them to her waist. Poe, somehow, was already dressed in no time at all.

 

“Okay, I’m making my way down the stairs,” Snap called from the stairwell. “I’m halfway there. Whatever you’re doing you should probably stop.” 

 

Poe let out a relieved laugh as he helped Elan push her head through her tunic, brushing her hair back from her face and placing a tender kiss on her lips. Snap cleared his throat one more time before stepping into the cargo hold.

 

“Just thought you two should know we’re about five minutes away from D’Qar. The cargo bay doors open when the main hatch does, so I figured you might need a little warning.” Snap seemed to be deliberately avoiding Elan’s gaze, but she caught a telling look passing between him and Poe. “You know the General is going to want a word with you.”

 

Poe nodded his head with a sigh. 

 

“She’s gonna have my hide for this. But hey, Snap,” Poe clapped a hand on his wingman’s shoulder. “Thanks, buddy. For everything.”

 

Snap pulled Poe into a quick but forceful embrace. 

 

“Don’t mention it. Well, actually do. Because I could have died, you know.” 

 

The three broke into a much-needed laugh. Elan looked at the men in front of her, both scarred and bruised, but the smiles on their faces seemed to melt away all the pain that came from combat. Snap finally turned to her, giving her an amused grin. 

 

“I trust you two had enough time to, uh, catch up?” Before Elan had a chance to answer, Snap headed towards the stairs. “You, um, missed a button there, Elan,” Snap said quickly before exiting the room as quickly as he entered. Elan rushed to fasten the top of her tunic which was nearly revealing a dangerous amount of skin. When she looked back up, she caught Poe smirking at her.

 

“ _ What _ ?”

 

“Nothing,” he scratched at the back of his neck, looking almost sheepish, before letting out a quiet chuckle. He glanced at her again. Elan studied his face carefully. His expression worried her slightly; there was something disconcerting behind his eyes she hadn’t seen before, a sort of apprehension. 

 

The metal floor rumbled beneath them, signalling the ship’s landing. Just as Snap had said, the pressure released as the door began to raise, letting in a flood of warm light. Poe reached out, giving Elan’s hand a small squeeze before straightening his posture and shifting his feet to stand in a proper military stance. 

 

Shouts of joy and excitement flooded into the compartment, as well as several members of the Resistance and the rest of Black Squadron, pulling Poe in towards them with bear hugs and high fives. Elan stood back, watching the chaos of the reunion when she felt someone standing beside her. She looked over to see Jess surveying the scene with a crooked smile. 

 

“He sure is out local celebrity,” Jess commented dryly, looking over at Elan. “How’d the ‘ _ secret intel _ ’ from the General go?” She teased, bumping her shoulder against Elan’s arm, her smile twisting into a mischievous grin. Still, Elan couldn’t stop herself from blushing. Did everyone on the whole damn base know? And what would that mean now?

 

“C’mon,” Jess said as she slung her arm over Elan’s shoulder and walking towards the crowd. “Now comes the fun part.”

 

Snap was standing beside Poe, beaming confidently as they swapped tales with the captivated audience surrounding them. Poe caught Elan’s eye in the crowd and nodded his head in her direction, turning to whisper something in Snap’s ear. Snap glanced over at Elan with a cocked eyebrow. Poe made his way towards her just as another officer rushed towards them.

 

“You two, the General requests a meeting with you immediately.”

 

Poe let out a deep breath. “Yeah, I thought she might.” He rubbed his eyes roughly, a look of dread washing over his face. Elan followed them closely, working her way through the droves of people still crowding the vessel. 

 

When they reached the corridor leading to the debriefing room, Elan stepped forward to continue after Poe, but the escorting officer raised his hand quickly, so quickly that Elan walked straight into it.

 

“I’m sorry, Miss Caledon. This meeting is meant for Commander Dameron only.”

 

Elan shot a worried glance at Poe who appeared suddenly chagrined.

 

“I think I’m in trouble,” he said quietly to Elan. “Wait here, I won’t be long.”

 

Trying her hardest not to pace around the corridor, Elan forced herself to stay confined to the chair beside the door, although she bounced her leg up and down incessantly, twisting her hands together nervously. Her wrist still ached terribly from where Jindosh’s grip has twisted it at an almost impossible angle. She still wasn’t sure how her bones hadn’t snapped under the pressure.  _ Jindosh _ , she thought. Why did he just let them go? How had he not opened fire the moment they landed, let alone let them escape with their most valuable hostage?  Her mind was suddenly flooded with the memories of the firefight and she could almost hear the smell of the trees burning all around her from blaster fire. Anxiety seeped into her skin and she began to chew to inside of her lip, sliding her hands under her legs to stop from wringing them. She could hear several raised voices from behind the door though any snippets of conversation was impossible to make out through the metal doors. With most of the officers and soldiers celebrating Poe’s return, the hall was nearly empty, leaving Elan with the horrible feeling of feeling completely alone. Rubbing her wrist gently, her thoughts returned to the battle. How many Resistance fighters had lost their lives? How many were her fault? She knew the loss would hit Poe the hardest and he would likely blame himself for their deaths. 

 

The door to the chamber opened, making Elan jump at the sudden break in silence. She stood quickly as Poe exited the room with several other officers, the General right behind them. She motioned towards Elan, beckoning her to come forward. Shooting a questioning look at Poe, who looked over his shoulder at Leia with a curious expression.

 

“A word, Miss Caledon. If you don’t mind.” Her voice was calm and comforting. The officers moved towards the doorway, but General Organa held up a hand. “I won’t be needing your counsel for this discussion. I believe Miss Caledon and I can handle this matter on our own.” 

 

“General,” Poe cut in, stepping in front of the officers making their leave. “I wouldn’t have made it out of there without her.” 

 

Leia looked from Poe to Elan with a bemused smile.

 

“I’ll take that into account. Thank you, Commander. You’re dismissed.”

 

Poe looked like he was debating whether or not to obey that direct order or not. He must have thought better of it and headed back to the direction of the commandeered vessel, but not before taking one last quick glance over his shoulder at Elan. Elan returned the smile, immediately feeling Leia’s eyes on her. 

 

“Let’s sit down,” the General offered.

  
  


Inside the room was a long chrome table, both sides crammed with chairs with barely enough space for people to sit comfortably. Leia chose a seat at the head of the table, and Elan tried to deduce which chair would be a respectful distance away, but the General gestured towards the chair to her left. 

 

“Please,” she suggested politely as Elan nearly rushed to the seat. “You can breathe, Miss Caledon; you’re not in any trouble.”

 

Elan couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. 

 

“In fact, I think I should be thanking you.”

 

“Thanking me..?” Elan questioned.

 

“This is twice now that you’ve rescued Dameron, that we know of. And now, thanks to you, we’ve got an insider view of another First Order base. Those are not easy feats.”

 

“To be fair, General, it wasn’t just me who rescued Poe. In fact, I think I did more harm than good as it is, considering I was captured.” Elan had to take a quick breath. She was sure she rattled off her explanation at a barely understandable speed. Still, Leia’s kind, but firm expression didn’t falter. 

 

“Elan,” she began, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees. “You’re a bright girl. Learn to take a compliment.”

 

Elan’s mouth hug open slightly and she began to stammer out a response before Leia waved her hand. 

 

“I know this wasn’t what you signed up for, but I am grateful you are with us. We know your worth even if you do not.”

 

Tears began to well in Elan’s eyes and she quickly blinked them away. 

 

“Thank you, General Organa,” Elan managed to say in a wavering voice. “Was there anything else you needed from me?”

 

The General leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms with a smirk. Elan shifted uncomfortably in her seat, already knowing the direction the conversation was going to turn. 

 

“I know we’ve spoken before about how Dameron feels about you.”

 

Elan cringed. “I think the whole base is aware of it by now.” 

 

Leia let out a gentle chuckle.

 

“It is funny how these things work. But the whispers I’ve heard have been very positive. You two are certainly a welcome warmth in this trying time, and quite the morale booster, I must say.” Leia leaned forward slightly. “Of course, I would be quite the hypocrite to try and dissuade you from this relationship. That being said, it has not impacted the work being done by the Resistance thus far. See that it stays that way.”

 

“I will. Absolutely, General.”

 

“Now, you have some catching up to do in the Archives. I’m sure you’ve got a wealth of information to document.”

 

Elan thanked her and walked towards the corridor.

 

“And Elan?” Leia called from behind her. “Keep him in line.”

  
  
  


Immediately after exiting the room, a familiar face rushed towards her, throwing her arms around Elan’s neck, sending a barrage of dark curls around her face. 

 

“Oh my god, Elan, you had me freaking out,” Raissa said, holding Elan’s shoulders at arm's length, looking over her carefully as if expecting the loss of a limb or two. “What the hell happened? I woke up to the com center in a frenzy. All I knew was that half of the squadron was gone and there was a transport missing, then you had just disappeared. We didn’t know what the hell was going on.”

 

“I know, Raissa. I’m sorry. Snap woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me they’d gotten a hit on Poe’s ship and we had to leave immediately. Even the General didn’t know.”

 

“Oh, she knew,” Raissa said strongly. “She was furious. I thought she was going to kill Poe for taking on a solo mission without telling his squadron. Hell, she still might.”

 

Raissa started to beg for more details, but after realizing Elan hadn’t even gotten a chance to shower yet, she promised Elan drinks and gossip at a later time before heading back to the communications bunker. Although she knew it was obvious she needed a serious change a clothes and a long, hot shower, Elan couldn’t help wanting to check in on the crew in the hangar. No doubt they had already broken out the Dobri whiskey and were well on their way to a celebratory night of debauchery, and a good stiff drink seemed to be exactly what she needed. 

 

Elab was only halfway down the corridor when she heard the jovial cheers erupting from the pilots from the docking bay. She smiled to herself as she walked out into the cool air once again. The crowd had dwindled slightly, officers not doubt returning to their vital duties and tasks, but there was still a sizeable amount of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder, swapping tales of epic rescues and perilous missions. There was no immediate sign of Black Squadron, although in a group that large faces tended to blur. Elan had begun to scout out the crowd from its perimeter when she felt an arm wrap around her waist and swing her in an bumbling semicircle to face her assailant. She opened her mouth to let out a startled yelp when suddenly her lips collided with a familiar face. 

 

“Poe, you idiot!” Elan gasped, attempting to push him back but his grip on her rooted her body against his. “You scared the hell out of me!”

 

“Well,  _ Princess of Denon _ , allow me to apologize formally.” Poe gave her a devilish grin and pulled her towards the corner of the bunker beside a T-70 in desperate need of repair, pressing her back against the metal ladder propped against the ship. He pulled her into a deep kiss, his fingers trailing down her sides to rest on her hips. Poe’s hand slipped under the hem of her tunic and worked its way up to cup her breast slowly. Elan let out a gasp and tried to push his hand away.

 

“Poe, what the hell are you doing?” She asked in a harsh whisper. “Are you crazy? Anyone could see us.”

 

Poe looked over at the jubilant crowd, enthralled in their own conversations, passing around several different liqueurs, and turned back to her with a bawdy smirk. 

 

“I’m pretty sure Vader himself could rise from the ashes in the middle of the hangar and no one would notice. C’mon,” he slipped his fingers into the waistband of her leggings. “It’ll be fun.”

 

“Fun?” Elan rasped as Poe’s finger teased along her folds, frustrated with how wet she’d already become. “You’re  _ dangerous _ , Dameron.”

 

“I think you like dangerous.”

 

Elan let out a small moan as Poe pressed a finger to her clit, taking pleasure in the throbbing heat that greeted him. 

 

“Poe,” she began to protest, though only out of her idea of what was socially acceptable. She had to admit, the idea of a clandestine tryst with the added risk of being caught did feel rather… exciting. Poe’s finger slipped inside of her, causing a tremor to ripple through her body. Elan began working furiously to undo the fastenings of his trousers while Poe smirked at her eagerness.

 

“You suddenly seem so impatient,” he teased, sliding down her leggings down her thighs, just enough to expose her. Elan laid further back against the ladder, setting her foot on a higher step to allow him a full view. Poe let out a quiet whistle. Elan gave a sly smile in response.

 

“At a loss for words, Commander?” She pulled the collar of his shirt to her, pressing her mouth against his. His tongue slipped in, gently teasing her with gentle strokes along her laps as she reached down to grasp his already hardened shaft. Poe let out a small moan against her lips as she lead his cock towards her entrance, yearning to feel him inside her again. Poe thrust forward into her, her wetness allowing him a welcoming entrance. Elan had to stifle a moan as he gripped her hips, pushing deeper into her. A small group of a few pilots had congregated nearby and Elan realized with slight horror that all they had to do was turn around and she and Poe would be caught in a slightly awkward position. Quite literally. 

 

There was a sudden metallic  _ screech  _ as the ladder began to slip off the ledge of the vessel, shifting under their combined weight against it coupled with their hurried movements. Poe looked up with a grimace as if he could see exactly what was about to happen but was hopeless to stop it.

 

“ _ Shi- _ ”

 

The ladder became detached completely, sending them both tumbling to the floor with a loud clatter and a flurry of expletives. Of course the sound attracted concerned individuals looking to see what had caused the upheaval. Elan rushed to pull her tunic down as Poe scrambled to pull his flightsuit over his shoulders, but only got the garment above his hips before a concerned Snap stepped around the vessel to investigate. He immediately gave Poe a dry smile likely indicating this was not the first time he’d caught him in a precarious situation.

 

“Hi, Poe. Hi, Elan.”

 

“We were just-”

 

“There was a-”

 

“Looked like a part was, um-”

 

“It could be, uh, dangerous.” Poe cleared his throat. Elan stood, smoothing back her tousled hair. Glancing over at Poe, his flightsuit shrugged low around his waist, his undershirt dotted with sweat, she realized just how obviously guilty they both looked. Snap crossed his arms with a smug expression. A few others had gathered behind him, chuckling in realization. 

 

“Alright, break it up, guys,” Snap said over his shoulder, waving away the crowd. Poe scratched at his neck and gave Elan a sympathetic look. Elan rolled her eyes as she stood, smoothing out the front of her tunic. 

 

“You two need a babysitter,” Snap teased. “Poe, grab a shower. You smell like a rathtar.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love having fun feedback from you guys, so speculate away!


	32. In which our heroes feel the tension...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm seeing TLJ tomorrow and I just had to crank out one more chapter with the image in my head of TFA/comics Poe beforehand. I will absolutely keep subsequent chapters spoiler free, just FYI. BUT I'M SO EXCITED.
> 
> Enjoy, my wonderful readers<3

The familiarity of the archives office felt comfortable, and safe, but somehow Elan still felt restless. She’d decided to stop by on a whim to log some of the more harrowing details of what transpired on Rattatak on her way to a much-needed shower. Now that she was in a quiet and enclosed space, the lack of almost every sound that created the usual ambience felt odd and almost dreamlike. Sitting down roughly in her chair, she began idly flipping through her logs in the nearest holopad. Where would she even start? Would this be when she’d be forced to formally disclose her relationship with Poe? _ What even  _ is _ our relationship?  _

 

Elan sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. In order to get the full details on how this entire insane mission was necessary to begin with, she would have to interview Poe.  _ Properly _ , she reminded herself in accordance with her formal duties. She began to scribble a few thoughts on a spare bit of paper, feeling slightly foolish when surrounded by far superior technology, but then she remembered one of the first interactions with her mentor.  _ “Ryloth archives contains extensive research on the history of the Twi’lek- written exclusively on paper. Do not shun the old ways.”   _ She knew she would not be able to do an audible account of the events without feeling the panic beneath her skin. Somehow, the disconnection between her brain and the pencil in her hand allowed her to get the ideas out with a certain amount of impartiality, but the details still made her feel like she was reliving every moment, remembering the fear and dread that filled those 48 hours. This was the second time she’d found herself in a unexpected combat situation and both times were a cruel reminder just how acutely inept she was in such conditions. On Dantooine, they were merely bystanders at the wrong place at the wrong time-- the raiders had just happened to be there already. Had they not seen the ship, it was likely they would’ve never crossed paths. Witnessing what the First Order was capable was an entirely different plight. 

 

Her eyes glazed slightly, remembering in vivid color how ruthlessly cold every officer and trooper had been. Elan laid her fingers gingerly where Cunne had struck her, the skin around the small abrasion left behind raised and sore. There was the initial excitement from seeing that Poe was alive and relatively unharmed back when she had the foolish idea that she could simply sneak in and out with Poe alongside-- not managing a firefight and hostage negotiations. She’d been fully prepared, well as prepared as she could be, to use a blaster if necessary. What she wasn’t prepared for was The First Order’s callous military acumen. With the numbers alone, they could’ve easily obliterated every Resistance fighter on the field. 

 

After a solid hour or so of work, Elan let out a drowsy yawn and rubbed her eyes, roughly. It occurred to her that it had been two full days without a restful night’s sleep, something she desperately needed. She couldn’t even imagine the exhaustion Poe must be feeling after weeks of being held prisoner. Although most of the post-mission protocols were still very foreign to her, she knew the last thing he needed was to be alone. Or perhaps it was the last thing she needed. Regardless, she knew no one would wish for her company in her current state. Sliding her work aside, she scooted her chair back and made for the barracks. 

  
  


The stream of water cascading down her face, and the steam of the shower raising around her, felt like be encased in a cocoon of warmth. She watched the water gently rinse the grime from her fingertips, following the course of dirt down to circle the drain at her feet. Elan reached for the dial, pausing for a moment before cranking it to its hottest temperature. She winced at the blast of sweltering heat that rained down from the spout colliding with her face and chest. She wanted to step back from the heat but she forced herself to stay put, taking in deep breaths of the steamy air around her as she clamped her eyes shut. Flashes of images of the battle came flooding into her thoughts, replaying the sounds of blaster fire and frantic shouts on a vicious loop. Elan pressed her palms against her eyes, naively trying to push the images out of her head. She turned quickly, slamming her hand against the controls and bringing the water to a complete stop. As she stood in front of her mirror, she eyed the red splotches on her skin from the heat of the shower. She grimaced, knowing full well it was not the smartest of choices. Her mother’s harsh words echoed in her head before she could stop them. Elan had adopted the foolish misdemeanor of spending too long in a too hot shower after particularly stressful conferences where she’d been forced to interact with people with more political prowess and knowledge than she could ever hope to have.  _ Are you trying to scald the skin from your bones?! _ she was shriek as she stormed into the one place Elan thought she had sanctuary. It was one of her coping mechanisms, although she knew it wasn’t exactly her most healthy option. Her hair hung in limp strands that she haphazardly brushed away from her face. There were several scratches around her face she hadn’t noticed before and a large bruise forming on her shoulder from one of the many times she’d been forcefully shoved by one of the troopers. She couldn’t be certain where the cut on her lip had come from. 

 

Slipping into fresh clothes was a refreshing feeling. No dirt, blood, or sweat marking her apparel. Her hair had begun to dry into their usual golden waves as she mechanically tidied her bunk. She knew she needed to keep her hands busy. She wanted to check in on Poe, but felt an anxious apprehension at the thought. Just how many people had they lost? Did Poe know? How close was he to them? She knew every death would weigh heavily on him. She wasn’t sure she was ready to see him face the grief, but she knew she didn’t want to have him be alone. As if struck by a sudden bolt of realization, it occurred to her that she knew someone who would know better just how to handle the situation.

  
  
  


“Poe has his own way of, um, dealing with things,” Snap finally told her. She had given him little choice after she’d cornered him in the canteen. “He always has.”

 

“How so?”

 

“He just kind of… shuts down for a while. Loss hits him hard.”

 

“I think loss hits everyone hard.”

 

“This is a bit different, Elan.” Snap let out a sigh. “When you lose someone in a combat, it’s a pretty hard-hitting reminder just how out of our control the situation is.” He rested a hand on Elan’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Look, don’t take it personal, all right? He’ll bounce back.”

 

“Can’t I do anything? Does he want company?” Elan asked, suddenly feeling incredibly helpless. 

 

“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Snap replied hesitantly. “We, um, talked about this.”

 

“Who, you and Poe?”

 

“Yeah. I was waiting until I saw you around, but I think it’s best you focus on your duties for a while and let him unwind.”

 

Elan huffed. “And he told you this? He wants me to ‘focus on my duties?’”

 

“Not in so many words,” Snap said, nervously scratching at his chin. “But he wants some time alone to, you know,  _ process _ .”

 

Elan chewed at her lip. 

 

“So, he’s fine telling you to tell me, but he can’t tell me himself?”

 

Snap let out a sympathetic sigh. 

 

“It’s not that, Elan. I’ve been there. I know how it feels to come back and just want to… disconnect for a bit. He was held prisoner for who knows how long in this mission of his. I mean, he’s been through a tough interrogation before, he barely made it through that one as it is. But the fact is, he made it. He’ll make it through this too. He just needs his own time to do it.”

 

Elan’s gaze feel down to the now room temperature tea that sat forgotten on the table in front of her. Snap placed his hand on hers.

 

“You know it wouldn’t affect him like this if he didn’t care about you, Elan.”

 

She couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic scoff. 

 

“Interesting technique.” 

 

“If you really want to see how he’s doing, I’m not going to stop you. Just know he might not be in the best of spirits, that’s all. You know where his bunk is?”

 

Elan raised an eyebrow in response. 

 

“Of course you do.”

  
  
  
  


Elan trepidatiously made her towards Poe’s bunk. According to Snap, no one had seen him since his meeting with General Organa and if he wasn’t in his blasted X-wing, his bunk would be the next best bet. Elan rapped her knuckles cautiously against the door of his room. A long moment passed and Elan considered knocking again, but took the silence as a sign that he didn’t want the company, if he was in his dorm or not. Just as she was turning to head back to her own room, the door swung open. 

 

“Elan?” Poe’s hair was still wet and damp curls around his face. Despite looking like he’d just stepped out of the shower, his eyes looked darkened and completely exhausted.

 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Elan managed to say. She was slightly startled by how haggard he looked-- almost worse than how they rescued him.

 

Poe swept his hair back with his fingers but it sprang back seemingly of its own volition. 

 

“That’s nice of you, Elan. Thanks.” Even his voice sounded tired.

 

“So, are you?”

 

“Am I what?”

 

“Are you okay?” Elan repeated, her concern growing.

 

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

Elan stepped closer towards him.

 

“You don’t look or sound fine.” She reached up to put her hand against his face, but to her bewilderment, he backed away. 

 

“Elan, look, I just need some time alone, alright?”

 

“Snap said you would probably say that.”

 

“Wait, you talked to Snap about me? Elan, you can’t just-” he stopped to pinch the bridge of his nose, letting out a deep exhale. “I’m fine, all right? I’m fine. I just need some time alone. That’s all I’m asking.”

 

“Poe, you don’t have to be alone. You’ve been through a lot. Look, I can just sit with you if you want. I can make some tea, you can relax. I’m trying to help.”

  
  


“ _ Stop helping _ . I said I’m fine, alright? Really, I just want some time to myself, something I never get. This isn’t helping me right now. I need some time alone. Can you do that, Elan?” Poe enunciated, his voice more venomous that she’d ever heard it before. 

 

“Yeah,” she stammered, pulling at the sleeve of her tunic. “Yeah, I can do that.”

 

“Good.” Poe shut the door, the frame rattling against the metal. Elan felt stunned, almost jilted, but still managed a brave face. He’d been frustrated with her before, sure. She remembered his fury at her disobeying his direct orders to leave him behind, but clearly that didn’t stick for long. This was something else entirely. Elan stood blinking in the corridor, still processing the altercation.  _ He’s a soldier _ , she reminded herself, trying not to take offense to his brusque attitude. Still, her head was swimming and the nagging urge to bang on the door and smack him for his deplorable decorum was stirring inside of her. Her hand hovered in front of the door, debating whether or not to knock again. Just as her knuckles would’ve made contact, the door swung open once more and Elan jumped back with a start. 

 

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Elan. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that,” Poe professed as he roughly rubbing the back of his neck. “You wanna come in?” He stood back to offer her entry. Elan crossed her arms defiantly.

 

“Oh, so  _ now  _ you want company?”

 

“Elan-”

 

“You said you wanted to be alone. This is me leaving you alone.”

 

“Look, I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t mean to take it out on you. Just come in, okay? We can talk. Please?”

 

Elan huffed and brushed past him, squeezing past him in the little space he’d given her. Poe’s bunk was a mess- the sheets were tangled in a ball on his bed, clothes and engine parts scattered across nearly every surface. She began to pace around the room with an agitated gait.

 

“Elan, sit down. Please. You’re making me nervous.”

 

“Oh, I’m making you nervous? You’re the one acting like you’d rather pull your teeth out than talk with me. I’m worried about you and you’re just blowing me off like that doesn’t matter.” 

 

“That’s not it at all and I think you know that. I don’t know why-  _ would you sit down already? _ ”

Elan sank into the chair closest and held up her hands in petulant acceptance. As much as she wanted to continue with her frustration, she had to admit his attitude made sense. _ Snap said he’d want to be alone... _

 

“Thank you,” Poe said through an exhalation. He grabbed a chair and moved it forward to face her. He took a few deep breaths and opened his mouth several times as if he was rewriting the script of what he was planning to see. Elan tried to get up her irritation, but the man sitting in front of her wasn’t the hotshot flyboy she grudgingly became so found of. The man in front of her was wounded, almost broken, by the heaviness obviously weighing on his shoulders. 

 

“Elan,” Poe began in a quiet voice. “I don’t know how to explain it, but this is something you’re going to have to understand. When these… these  _ things  _ happen, it gets in your head. It keeps you up.”

 

“We  _ all  _ have these things that keep us up at night, Poe. You told me that yourself.”

 

“Yeah, but my bad thoughts aren’t your bad thoughts, Elan. It’s different.”

 

“What do you mean ‘different?’” 

 

“They’re... uglier.” Poe’s head dropped forward, his eyes focusing on the floor.

 

“Then  _ talk  _ to me,” Elan pleaded, getting to the feet and putting her hands on his shoulders, his muscles tense beneath her fingers. “Help me to understand what it is you’re going through.” She raised her hands to his face, resting her fingers against his jaw. “I want to help you.”

 

“It’s not that easy, Elan.” He stood, turning his back to her and putting his hands on his hips. With his teeth set and jaw clenched, he looked as though he was already struggling to keep his composure. 

 

“I know I sound like an asshole by saying ‘you don’t understand,’ but that’s the truth. I lost people, Elan. A lot of people. They were my friends, not just my squad mates. They’re my  _ family _ . And they’re dead because of me.”

 

“They had a choice, Poe. They had a choice to go on the mission to rescue you because they care about you. The risk was obvious.” 

 

Poe took a step forward, nearly looming over her, and Elan found herself backing up against the wall behind her. 

 

“The  _ ‘risk’  _ that was only there because I made the stupid decision to go out on my own. They’re dead because of a choice that I made, Elan. Me. It  _ is  _ my fault. Look, I know this whole thing is new to you, but it’s not for me.” His voice was steadily rising in volume, causing Elan to wince at the vehemence in his tone and turn her face away. Poe must have immediately sensed her consternation as every line on his face began to soften. 

 

“Fuck,” he said under his breath. “Fuck, fuck,  _ fuck _ .” Poe slammed his palm against the table, making Elan jump at the jarring sound. 

 

“This is why I didn’t want to talk about it. I’m angry, Elan. I’m fucking angry that we’re no closer to taking down The First Order than we were before and we have nothing but widows and orphans left behind to show for it. Their blood is on my hands.” Poe’s head dropped to his chest and he took in quick breaths through gritted teeth. Elan was rooted to the wall, unsure if she should go to him or just leave him alone to grieve in his own way. 

 

“D-do…” Elan murmured. “Do you want me to go?”

 

Poe let out a pained sigh. 

 

“I don’t know what I want,” he managed to say after a strained silence. “I want this war to be over. I want it to stop feeling like we just have people out there dying for nothing.” He leaned against the chair in front of him, dropping his chin to his chest, looking utterly defeated. Elan crossed the room to his and wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her cheek against his shoulder. Poe didn’t acknowledge the gesture, but he didn’t pull away. Elan held her grip on him as she felt his shoulders began to relax ever so slightly. After a moment, she felt his hand gently stroke against her own before resting atop her fingers. 

 

“It feels like I’m still back there,” Poe murmured in a quiet voice. Elan set her chin on his shoulder. 

 

“You’re not,” she breathed gently, pressing her lips against his back. “You’re here. You’re here with me. You’re safe. I’m not going anywhere.”

 

She could feel Poe’s shoulders rise and fall with deep grounding breaths.

 

“I can’t lose you too,” he uttered, his words barely audible.

 

Elan straightened her back, pulling him around to face her.

 

“You’re not going to lose me. I told you, I’m not going anywhere. Even if you were being kind of an asshole.”


	33. In which our heroes have a tough night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I've seen TLJ twice and I'm completely onboard for what's happening JUST SAYING.
> 
> **** Heads up, y'all- we're working with some PTSD/nightmares elements in the this chapter. ((((also major fluff incoming))))

Poe let out a soft laugh in response.

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I was.” His arms circled around Elan’s waist as he rested his forehead against her stomach. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

 

Elan, knowing how trying an apology could be, silently accepted the atonement, running her fingers through his still-damp hair and softly humming a tune she barely remembered from her childhood. Poe let out a deep sigh that turned into a contented chuckle. His breath felt warm against her skin, even through the fabric of her shirt. His eyes were closed, but there was still a light crease between his brows, clear that his thoughts were still weighing heavily.

 

“Hey,” she began quietly, lightly gripping his hair and tipping it back to bring his gaze up to her. “Come here.” Elan pulled him to his feet. Poe groaned in protest, while Elan let out a lighthearted _shhh_ in response. She began to sway on her feet to a silent rhythm, her grip on his shoulders forcing him to follow suit.

 

“What are you doing?” Poe asked in an amused tone.

 

“ _Dancing_ , you idiot,” Elan smirked.

 

“There’s no music.”

 

“Shut up; you’re ruining it,” Elan retorted with feigned annoyance. Nodding in compliance, Poe rested his hands against her hips. He still had a doltish smile playing at his lips, but Elan let it pass this time.

 

“This is nice,” Poe commented, looking slightly surprised as though addled by the conclusion. He looked down at his feet, immediately stepping on Elan’s toes. “ _Shit_ , sorry. I never learned how to do...this.”

 

“Well, I did. And the first rule is don’t look at your feet. Keep your chin up.” Elan immediately straightened her back, reminding herself of the lessons she’d had to endure as a teen, “On Denon,” she began. “My dad would hold these grand evenings with dinner and dancing during times of turmoil. It never made any sense to me. When I asked him how he could think about having a ball when people are starving and dying in the streets in such close proximity. He told me ‘Elandra, sometimes you just have to forget. Even if it means faking normalcy for an evening.’ It made sense, even before I knew about all this.”

 

Poe’s eyes drifted from her face, absorbing the sentiment for a moment.

 

“Your real name is Elandra?”

 

“Shut up.”

“ _Elandra_?” Poe repeated in a facetious tone, deliberately over-enunciating each syllable. Elan moved to push him away, but he held his grip on her hips, keeping her body against his. “No, I like it.” His face relaxed into a smile as he raised his head, remembering Elan’s instruction. “So,” he began in a uncertain tone. “Did you dance with anyone like this at this at this grand affairs?”

 

Elan raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

 

“Well, I mean, you are really good at this. I’m just wondering.”

 

“Are you actually jealous of the guys I danced with at a stupid party?”

 

“Well, I wasn’t but now that you’re so defensive, maybe I should be.” Another smug grin broke out causing Elan to have the sudden realization that he was toying with her. She stepped back and slapped his arm in response.

 

“Okay, you’ve _got_ to stop whacking me like that,” Poe winced, rubbing his arm roughly.

 

“Or what?” Elan asked demurely with a coy smirk.  Although she had been expecting a kiss, perhaps one leading to a more amorous endeavor, but to her surprise, Poe simply rested his hand against her face. His thumb stroked against her cheek gently in a gesture that felt almost chaste. Letting out a quiet groan, Poe took a step back, holding his hand to his mouth as he let out a yawn.

 

“It’s late,” Poe breathed as he rubbed his eyes. “I should, uh, let you catch up on sleep.”

 

Elan studied him carefully, debating whether or not to pose the question in her head. It seemed so simple, yet potentially detrimental.

 

“Do you want me to stay?” Elan finally asked.

 

Poe avoided her gaze, instead resting his palms against the table.

 

“I, uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

 

“Why not?” _Don’t get defensive, Elan_ , she reminded herself.

 

“I’d be awful company. I’m a terrible sleeper.” He crossed his arms tightly, looking suddenly troubled.

 

“What, like you have nightmares or something?” Elan posed the question playfully, but his adverse response was immediate. Of course the days’ traumas would follow into the night. Suddenly, with his posture and clenched jaw, he almost looked like a frightened child. A pang of guilt and protective concern washed over her.

 

“You shouldn’t be alone, Poe.”

 

“No, it’s fine. When I can’t sleep there’s always something to be done. It’s easier to work when the hangar is empty. Besides, I know BB-8 missed me.” He attempted a smile, but the result was more like a cringe.

 

“Well,” Elan began as she crossed her room so stand beside him. “I can keep you company, then. Anyway, I’m a light sleeper. I’ll just keep you company.” Her decision was spoken in the most cheerful tone she could muster; in her mind, it meant declining her offer would be impossible without intense feelings of guilt. She punctuated the statement with a broad smile. Poe let out a heavy sigh.

 

“Alright, you win. But to _sleep_ , okay?”

 

Elan shot him a coy look in response.

 

“I’m serious, Elan. We could both use a good night’s sleep. You especially.”

 

“Why ‘me especially?’” Elan retorted.

 

“Because. I’ve dealt with sleep deprivation before. I’ve almost made it a habit. You, on the other hand, _Princess of Denon_ , haven’t. Especially after something like what you went through.”

 

Elan wrinkled her nose. Obviously, he’d had it worse than she had, but she had to admit he wasn’t wrong. Poe turned to the blocky metal dresser behind him and rifled through it.

 

“You can’t sleep in that,” he said as he tossed her a clean shirt. Elan went to pull her shirt over her head, but not before giving Poe a quizzical look.

 

“What?” Poe asked in a perplexed tone.

 

“Turn around.”

 

Poe scoffed.

 

“Are you serious? You know I’ve seen you naked, like, _multiple_ times, right?”

 

“ _Context_ , Dameron. Besides, it leaves more to the imagination,” she said with a wink. “Now, _turn around_.”

 

Poe let out a dramatic, pained groan as he turned his back.

 

Elan slipped out of her clothes and into the shirt, which hung limply around her frame. The hem of the shirt rested just at the top of her hips, barely covering her rear. She considered leaving her leggings on for some false sense of modesty, but concluded that perhaps the view might make for a welcome distraction.

 

“Okay, you can look now,” Elan smirked as she swept her hair out from the neckline. Poe turned around with a defiant look on his face, at least until he gave her a clear once-over, when he expression morphed into one of painfully obvious attraction. He tucked his lip under his teeth before clearing his throat. Elan couldn’t help but feel pleased with herself.

 

“Now, now. You said _‘sleep’_ if I remember corrected.” She sauntered over to his bunk, paying careful attention to the way she moved her hips as the walked. Sure, this was perhaps a cruel move, but it was their first official night together; she wanted to make it, at the very least, a memorable one.

 

Sliding under the covers, where she’d previously spent a night sleeping off a drunken stupor (she had to cringe at the memory), she shifted her body towards the wall, leaving enough space to accommodate his body comfortably. Poe looked hesitant as he stood by the bed, and Elan couldn’t help but notice the growing bulge under his waistline.

 

“Don’t say a word,” Poe hissed.

 

“I didn’t say anything!”

 

“You didn’t have to,” Poe bemoaned as he slid in beside her. She could feel the heat from his body beside her as they both laid on their backs, eyes almost glued to the ceiling. Somehow, this stirred an almost ravenous yearning inside her, the familiar spark pulling below her navel. Poe must have felt a similar sensation as he cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably underneath the sheets as if on cue. Elan chewed the inside of her cheek. They hadn’t been in close proximity in such a subdued manner in what felt like eons and certainly not since their relationship had turned physical. Something about the deliberate restraint made the idea all the more dangerous. And alluring.

 

Poe cleared his throat again and rubbed his eyes firmly. Elan gave him a sympathetic glance.

 

“I mean,” she began demurely. “It wouldn’t kill us to do… _something_ . You know, just to encourage, erm, _fatigue…_ ” She realized how unconvincing her tone came out as soon as the words left her mouth. Poe looked at her with rampant skepticism.

 

“I, um, I can just go,” Elan sighed as she sat up, swinging her leg over him to shimmy out of the bed.

 

“No.” Poe grabbed her arm quickly. “I don’t want you to.”

 

Elan let out a pained laugh, settling her weight against his body, straddling him awkwardly.

 

“Poe, this is frustrating the hell out of both of us. I think it might be counterintuitive to this whole ‘good night’s sleep’ idea.”

 

“It’s _fine_ ,” Poe stressed, reassuring her with a smile and running his hands down her arms. “We’ll manage.” He laid back against the pillow again, this time comfortably arranging himself with a contented sigh. Elan carefully slid off from on top of him, slinking back under the covers.

 

“C’mere,” Poe commanded softly.

 

He raised his arm to coax her closer to him. Elan obliged, scooting closer to him and resting her head against his chest, her hand underneath her chin. Her body felt stiff and awkward pressed against his, but she began to relax as she focused on the steady motion of his breathing caused his chest to rise and fall beneath her. His finger traced an invisible trail along her shoulder. Elan allowed her eyes to gently close, taking in everything from his scent to the warmth surrounding her, feeling grounded and safe for the first time in weeks. The lightness of the touch was enough to make her yearn for his fingers to continue to travel south on her body. This leisurely contact was a foreign feeling, yet certainly a pleasant one. It occurred to her with an almost shameful realization that she had not spent a night with a man without some sort of carnal encounter preceding it. She had never minded that tradition in the past, but within this context, laying beside Poe felt more intimate, almost daring.

 

“This isn’t so bad, right?”

 

Elan smiled against his chest.

 

“No. It’s not bad at all.”

  
  


She couldn’t remember exactly when she’d dozed off, but a sudden rush of movement beside jolted her from sleep.  Elan blinked her eyes roughly, adjusting to the surrounding darkness. She glanced down at Poe, laying on his side, facing away from her, knees pulled close to his chest. His eyes were clamped shut and she could set his jaw clenched shut, his arms and legs twitching violently as if He was muttering nervous sounds in his sleep, his brows knitted together in a grimace.

 

“Poe,” Elan brought her mouth close to his ear, whispering softly as to not startle him. “Poe, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.” It seemed as though her whispers may have made it worse as his hands clenched into fists.

 

“Poe,” she repeated, louder this time, setting her hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle shake. “ _Poe_.”

Poe’s eyes shot open as he bolt upright, looking frantic. Without hesitation, he twisted, pinning her against the wall with his forearm against her throat. His eyes were dark and looked terribly empty.

 

“Poe,” Elan rasped. “It’s me. It’s _me_.”

 

Immediately, he released her, a horrified look of recognition washing over him.

 

“Elan?” He sat back roughly, almost falling off the bed, his eyes darting around the room as though he had no memory of it. Elan coughed and held a hand to her throat. When she spoke, her voice felt harsh and strained.

 

“You were having a nightmare,” Elan managed to get out before coughing several more times.

 

“Fuck. _Fuck_. I’m so sorry, Elan.” Poe reached for her shoulders, but looked almost afraid to touch her. The sudden kick of adrenaline was still pulsating through her body and she could feel her heart pounding in her ears. Poe sat back, this time roughly landing on his hind on the floor. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears as he violently shook his head against his hands.

 

“Elan, I’m _so_ sorry. You know I’d never hurt you-” he began before taking a few deep gulps of air, almost looking like he was going to pass out.

 

“I know you wouldn’t.” Elan slid off the bed and set her hands on his shoulders, feeling him trembling.

 

“I was back there,” Poe professed quietly. “I could see it, I could smell the blaster smoke.”

 

“ _Shh_ ,” Elan cooed as she put her arms around his neck. “You’re _here_ , Poe. You’re here with me. We’re safe here.”

 

“You’re not. Not here with me, you’re not safe. If I didn’t realize it was you, I could’ve-”

 

“Poe, breathe, okay? Just breathe. I’m fine. I’m okay.”

 

He collapsed against her, burying his head in her hair.

 

“I’m so, so fucking sorry,” he sobbed. “I’m sorry.”

 

Elan ran her hands through his hair, letting his arms wrap tightly around her as if she were the one at risk of falling apart. She held him close, breathing as steadily as she could manage to calm him down and his breathing became less sporadic.  His fingers gripped tightly to the back of the shirt she was wearing of his.

 

“Does this happen often? Is this why you didn’t want me to stay the night?” Elan asked in a voice barely above a whisper. Poe hesitated before answering.

 

“Not often, but when it does,” he paused to take a breath. “It scares the hell out of me.”

 

“Have you talked to anyone about it?”

 

Poe gave a desperate chuckle.

 

“It’s part of the game. All of us have woken up screaming once or twice after a fight. You should’ve seen it when we all shared bunks. We’d have blasters going off left and right some nights. That came out weird, you know what I mean.”

 

While she appreciated his attempt at humor in the situation, her concern overriding the effort. Even when he tried to muster a smile, his expression was somber and his eyes lacked their trademark spark. It was heartbreaking. Her gaze fell on the clock on the wall above the door. It was nearly 2AM. They’d been asleep less than three hours.

 

“We should’ve just had sex,” Elan commented dryly. This time, they both gave a despondent laugh.

 

“So much for a good night’s sleep.” 

  



	34. In which our heroine does her best to pacify...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW holy crap so since TLJ came out, the feedback/hits on this have skyrocketed. I'm humbled and a bit overwhelmed at the sudden traffic. So please bare with me while I try to keep up with the expectations :|
> 
> Someone asked for the crackship gif imgur page again with my headcanons so here it is! Although I think it's still in the original description: https://imgur.com/a/WY3C1

“Well?”

 

“Well what?” 

 

“What should we do now?” Elan leaned against the wall with her hands behind her back. “I mean, we’ve got all this stolen time. May as well use it for something.”

 

“Well, the hangar is empty this time of night. It’s a great time to really get a look at the ships if you wanted to-” He stopped mid-sentence, noting her expression. “Oh, uh, you meant…”

 

“Yeah, I did.” Elan smirked, hoping the message was coming through strong enough this time. 

 

“Elan,” Poe breathed. “I don’t know. Really, I’m fucking exhausted.”

 

“That’s okay,” Elan quipped as she leisurely strode over to where he sat with his back against the side of the bed. She slid into his lap, straddling him with her hands on his shoulders. Grinding against his lap, gently rocking her body up and down, she trailed her fingers through his hair, tangling them at the base of his neck. Poe opened his mouth to most likely protest, but instead a small moan escaped his lips instead. Elan gave a sly smile in response. 

 

“Here’s what I want you to do,” she began, working the waistband of his pants down his hips. “I want you to lean back….and relax.” Elan stepped back, her ankles pressed together as she slid her underwear down to her feet. Poe’s eyes ran over her body, his tired eyes suddenly widening as she stepped forward. She lowered herself against him, pressing his quickly hardening flesh against her opening. Poe drew in a quick inhale through clenched teeth. 

 

“I want you to forget everything,” Elan murmured against his ear, lightly flicking her tongue against his skin. “Turn off your brain for a moment. Just be here.” Slowly, almost painfully slow, she drew him into her, pushing her body down against his, letting out a quiet gasp as his length entered her fully. 

 

“Close your eyes,” she purred against his ear. Her hips bucked against his, keeping a measured, steady pace between thrusts. Poe had complied with her request, his eyes remained clamped shut, looking lost in a delirious haze of bliss. He moved to place his hands on her hips but she pushed them back down to his sides. 

 

“Let me do all the work,” she murmured with a grin. Poe’s breath caught in his throat as he stifled a moan. “I want you to breathe into your body. Just relax.” 

 

Elan quickened her thrusts just slightly, enough to make his head tip back against the bed, his self control beginning to falter. She could feel the heat rising in her skin as she carefully studied his face for signs on his release. His brows knit together tightly and his teeth clamped down on his bottom lip. Beneath her, she could feel the he muscles in his legs began to tense as his cock twitched inside her.

 

“ _ Elan _ ,” Poe gasped breathless as he arched his back against the bed. His hands clamped on her thighs, his fingertips almost digging into her skin as she bucked her hips briskly against him. Poe let out a guttural moan as his release came hungrily and unrelenting. A feverish hue colored his cheeks as beads of sweat collected across his forehead. Elan could feel him inside her still, his cock throbbing in the aftershock of his peak. The back of his head rested against the bed as he struggled to catch his breath. After a moment, his eyes fluttered open, a pleasant, satisfied look of exhaustion on his face. Elan smiled as his tired eyes reached hers. What was it about a sleepy gaze that was such an immediately turn on? Poe let out a lethargic chuckle as if reading her mind.

 

“Man, that was, um-”

 

“Therapeutic?”

 

“I was going to say unexpected and hot as hell, but sure. Therapeutic works too.” Poe grabbed her shoulders and planted his lips against hers. “Thank you,” he murmured, his mouth still close enough to hers that their lips brushed as he spoke.

 

“You don’t have to thank me for that.”

 

“You know what I mean. Honestly, I probably would’ve just moped around here like a depressing sad sack if you had left.”

 

Elan stood, her leg muscles immediately aching from holding herself in one position for so long. As she straightened her back, a joint or two popping uncomfortably in the process, Poe reached up and took her hand. 

 

“Elan, you know, this isn’t, uh-” he stopped, dropping his hand to pull his trousers back up to his hips awkwardly. “This isn’t just about the sex for me.”

 

Elan cocked an eyebrow.

 

“You said that before.”

 

“I know, I just, I dunno. I just want you to know that. I know it sounds stupid, but-”

 

“I doesn’t sound stupid. It’s almost... sweet,” she teased, bumping his shoulder with her knee. Poe grumbled in irritation.

 

“What I mean is that… Fuck. I don’t know what I mean.”

Elan sat down beside him, crossing her legs, and brushing damp locks away from his eyes.

 

“Try me.”

 

Poe ran the back of his fingers against her arm, causing goosebumps to rise along her skin, the lightness of the touch making her momentarily tremble.

 

“You make me feel... safe.”

 

Elan tipped her head, . To her surprise and mildly embarrassing horror, the candid nature of this confession caused tears to well in her eyes.

 

“Well shit, I didn’t say that to make you cry.” Poe leaned forward towards her,wincing and placing a hand against his ribs. She’d forgotten the hits he’d taken barely 24 before and she gave him a sympathetic smile as she quickly wiped her eyes.

 

“No, you didn’t. Bloody hell,” she sniffed. “After seeing you… as you were…” She let out a deep breath. “I’m glad I can help.”

 

Poe gave a small grin as he ran his thumb along her cheek. His eyes were heavy; his exhaustion obvious. He looked as though as hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks, which, she realized, was likely to be accurate. He placed a hand to his mouth, letting out a wide yawn, groaning and rubbing his hands across his face.

 

“Poe, you’re worn out. You have to try and sleep. I can go, it’s early enough for me to slink back to my bunk all incognito like.”

 

“You don’t have to do that. Besides, I’m pretty sure the whole base knows by now.” Poe reached for her hand again, pulling it towards him and gently massaging her fingers. “I want you to stay.”

 

“Poe, I don’t mind. Really. I just want you to get some rest.”

 

“Look, I can’t promise I’m not going to lose it again, but for once, I feel like I can make it through this. That’s because of you. So, please- stay.”

 

Elan beamed and playfully tugged on his hand.

 

“The Commander has a  _ crush _ ,” she teased in a singsong tone. 

 

“Shut up,” Poe shot back, pulling her to her feet and into his arms as he shuffled backwards towards the bed. As they both slid under the seats, Elan laid her head against Poe’s chest, listening carefully to the rhythm of his heartbeat against her ears. She glanced up to see his eyes already closed and a contented smile on his lips. Taking comfort in whatever part she had played in alleviating the distress, she closed her eyes, almost immediately drifting off to sleep.

 

 


	35. In which our heroine gets a new protege...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, you guys are the best readers<3 I love talking with you all about these two crazy kids.

When Elan awoke, she was surprised to find herself alone in Poe’s bed. Squinting in the artificial light of the room, she struggled to make her eyes focus on the clock on the wall. It was half past six in the morning. Elan groaned. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept past  five . Although she was grateful to have gotten at least four hours of sleep, another rarity as of late, she could help but feel the daunting pressure of the work ahead of her. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood with a melodramatic sigh. Where the hell was Poe? Elan pulled on her leggings, which embarrassingly enough, smelled vaguely like sweat and engine grease. 

 

The door swung open behind her and in walked Poe, already in his flightsuit and looked what Elan could only define as as refreshed. He smiled when he saw her, a genuine, warm smile, a gesture that immediately warmed her to her bones.

 

“When did you leave?” Elan asked as she pulled her hair into a pile on the top of her head.

 

“I got an early com about some new arrivals we’re getting. I’m gonna take some of the newbies up in the air for some drills later. Gotta get the new recruits something to chase.”

 

“I can’t believe I didn’t wake up. I’m usually such a light sleeper.”

 

Poe gave a little smirk. 

 

“No, you were out. Like, completely. Drooling, snoring, the whole bit. Kind of disgusting, actually.”

 

Elan smacked him on the arm. 

 

“Okay, fine, I deserved that one. You were out, though.”

 

“I’ve got to get to the archives. I’ve got a mountain of work ahead of me and if I don’t start it soon, I’m going to end up collapsing under a pile of holobooks.” 

 

Poe draped his arms over her shoulders, pulling her into a languorous embrace.

 

“You’ve got a little bit of time left,” Poe murmured with coquettish initiation, one hand sliding down to cup under her backside.

 

“Poe, really, I’ve got so much work to catch up on. I’m going to be swamped and-” 

 

Poe clamped a hand over her mouth.

 

“Here’s what I want you to do.” His voice was dangerously low, almost in a growl.  He walked her back do the bed, easing her down on her back and clambering onto the bed to rest his body on top of hers. “I want you to close your eyes, and relax.” A devilish smirk came across his lips as Elan suddenly recognized her own words from the night before. “I want you to forget about everything.” 

 

Poe began to work his hand down to her waist, his fingers gently trailing down to her navel.

 

“Turn off that brain of yours,” he whispered against her ear as his hand slid into her leggings. Elan let out a gasp as his fingers rested along her bare flesh.

 

“Your hands are cold,” Elan remarked, biting her lip to stifle a giggle. Poe gave a humorously irked look in response. Elan pursed her lips and nodded a silent apology. His hand slipped lower, his index finger trailing along her folds, gliding effortlessly along her slick opening. She let out a helpless moan as his fingers found her clit, already pulsing against his touch. Poe slid her leggings down before dropping them to the floor, running his hands against the inside of her thighs as he brought himself back to his original position beside her.

 

“Let me do all the work.” 

 

His hands caressed her body gently, slowing drawing his fingers along her entrance, coaxing them in and out of her tenderly. Elan struggled with her countenance as she arched her back deeply, pressing herself against his hand. It didn’t take long for her body to squirm underneath him, a deep, longing ache rising in her core. Her eyes fluttered open to see Poe’s smug smirk, clearly pleased with the reaction he was coaxing out of her. The look in his eyes burned into hers with a ravenous heat. Her thighs clamped against his hand as the strokes of his fingers quickened; moans escaped her throat without any thought of modesty or composure. When she came, Poe pressed his lips against her neck, alternating quick nips and flicks from his tongue. Pleasure crashed over her like a violent wave; her back arched, and her hand gripped his wrist tightly as his thumb pressed firmly against her clit, his fingers feeling impossibly deep inside of her. Relentlessly, he continued his steady, ambling pace, enticing her to cum again. This time, she dug her fingernails into his shoulder and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. The sudden change in position caused his fingers to hit the deep, sweet spot inside of her, making her yet again cry out in a quake of unabashed pleasure. 

 

Elan felt light-headed and woozy as she came down, feeling as though she could float off like a cloud. Her ragged breaths through her open mouth came out in rough gasps, her hand clamped over Poe’s, holding his hand against her velvet folds. His spare hand cradled the nape of her neck, gently stroking his fingers through her hair. Her fingers ached as she released him and she pressed her palm against her forehead, letting out an almost bashful giggle. 

 

A sudden loud buzz sounded, making them both jump. Elan moved to push down her tunic to cover herself and Poe’s hand immediately moving from her body as if they were teenagers caught in a clandestine tryst. With a guilty chuckle, Poe tossed Elan her leggings from their place on the floor. He gave her a moment to compose herself, or at least to put her clothes back on, before opening the door, giving her a little nod as a warning. 

 

“Hey, if you’re looking for Elan, I think she-”

 

“Hush up, Dameron, I know she’s here,” Raissa announced, brazenly pushing her way into the room. “Honestly, everyone knows whatever it is you two are up to. There’s really no reason to try to cover any of  _ this  _ up. Plus, there’s no way you two think you’re being subtle.”

 

Elan gave a sheepish wave from the bed and Raissa stood in front of her with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

 

“You know I could hear you down the hall, right?” Elan’s eyes widened. Raissa turned her head to Poe, shooting him a smug look. “Well done.” Poe gave a nervous laugh, averting his gaze as a reddened tone rose in his cheeks. 

 

“ _ Anyway _ ,” Raissa began in a suddenly professional tone. “E, I wanted to give you the heads up about your new work duties.”

 

“New?” Elan repeated. 

 

“We’ve got a new recruit and, lucky you, you get to show him the ropes around the archives.”

 

“Raissa, I hardly think I’m qualified to teach anyone anything. I haven’t exactly had the best track record with-”

 

“Elan, _ c’mon _ . You’re the only one actually working in there, you’re the only chance we have. Besides, you’re on top of things when you’re in there. And in here, too, from the looks of it,” she added with a wink. Elan buried her face against her hands with a muffled grunt. 

 

“Well, he’ll be heading to your office sometime today. I told him you wouldn’t be long so go shower and head over there.” Raissa turned to leave, but not before stopping to stand eye to eye with Poe, who suddenly looked rather intimidated by her presence. 

 

“I’m still watching you, Dameron. I can have you shipped to Malastare if you fuck up.”

 

“I don’t doubt that at all, Major,” Poe responded with a smirk. Raissa’s eyes shifted from Poe to Elan, giving her a knowing look. 

 

“And Elan, don’t go letting  _ the best pilot in the Resistance’s _ infatuation distract him from his duties.”

 

“Of course not, Major.” Elan added a dramatic salute with her sentiment. 

 

Once Raissa left the bunk, Poe let out an audible shudder.

 

“She scares me more than the First Order does.”

  
  


\-----

 

In between the trying task making herself look as presentable as possible without having to run back to her own bunk and awkwardly passing Snap, who gave her an exaggerated wink and whistled in the hallway, Elan could already tell the day was going to be a harrowing ordeal. The idea of suddenly having someone to train already seemed daunting, and knowing she’d been personally appointed to the task made the idea all the more formidable. 

 

“Oh, you must be Elan.”

 

Jumping at the unexpected voice, Elan let out a loud “ _ shit _ !” 

 

“Sorry, you scared the hell out of me.” She cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure.  _ Professionalism, Elan _ . “It’s nice to meet you,” she said in as level of a tone as she could manage. The young man—younger than she had expected: perhaps only a year or two older than she—extended his hand towards her. 

 

“Saimon,” the new recruit replied. “Or Sai, if you want. I hope you don’t mind, I was looking through some of the recent holobooks. I'm trying to get a feel for what’s in store for me.”

 

“No, not at all. I apologize for the mess. It’s been a little chaotic around here. Please,” she gestured to the chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat and we can talk.”

 

Saimon nodded his thanks and sat down as Elan settled into her desk. 

 

“So,” Elan began, suddenly remembering her first meeting with Poe before knowing him as she did now. The thought felt so distant now that it was almost like a dream. “What made you want to join the Resistance, Saimon?”

 

“Well,” Saimon leaned back in his chair with a look of contemplation. “Why does anyone join?”

 

“I’m sorry?”

 

“You want to do something. You want to make a difference. It’s not like I was doing anything meaningful back on Denon. All I did was-”

 

“Wait, you’re from Denon?” Elan interjected, astonished.

 

“Yeah, didn’t they tell you that?”

 

“No, it didn’t come up.” Elan let out a surprised scoff. “I am too, though! That’s crazy; of all places for you to get sent.”

 

Saimon smiled, a wide grin that caused his eyes to squint, looking much more at ease. 

 

“Well, I suddenly feel much more at home here. Do you miss it?”

 

Elan dropped her gaze. “Um, yeah. I guess I do. I mean, it’s home. But I have work to do here.”

 

“Is your family still there?”

 

“As far as I know,” she said, reclining slightly in her chair. “I haven’t really spoken to them since I got here.”

 

“That has to be hard.” Saimon leaned forward with a sympathetic look. Elan gave a small smile.

 

“Well, to be honest, we were never really that close.”

 

“I’m sure they miss you. They have to.” 

 

Elan took a deep breath and straightened herself up, fighting off the sudden onset of homesickness. She hadn’t thought much of her home, aside from the occasional yearning for her oversized bed, consistent hot water, and no shortage of alcohol. 

 

“Let’s talk about what you want to accomplish while you’re here, Saimon. Where do you want to start?”

 

“I have to say I’m curious about the work you’ve done, Elan. I… can call you Elan, right?”

 

“Oh, of course you can. Honestly, I’ve never really had to train anyone before, so we’re free to set our own pace.”

 

Saimon stood and picked up the nearest datapad on Elan’s desk. He read the title for a moment.

 

“Hang on, you were captured?” Saimon asked in a alarmed intonation. “By the First Order?”

 

Biting her lip, she reached over for the datapad and scanned its contents. She’d forgotten she’d already started her rather candid recollection of the experience. It read more like a diary than a formal examination. 

 

“Erm, yeah, I was,” she said quietly, her eyes passing over the screen.

 

“What was it like?” Saimon almost instantly looked mortified. “I am so sorry, Elan. I wasn’t thinking. I was totally out of line to ask that.”

 

“No,” Elan sighed. “No, you weren't. I mean, the best kind of testimonies come from firsthand experience, right?” She placed the holobook back onto the table. 

 

“I didn’t think I’d get quite this much of it, I have to say. But to answer your question, it was scary as hell. I didn’t know what to think or what do to. I’m not a soldier. So, that’s something you need to be aware of, too. If you’re looking for action, you’re not going to get it in this section of the base.”

 

“No, I could never be a soldier,” he chuckled. “I’m shit at using a blaster, and the last time I went on a speeder I broke my leg. Suffice it to say, this is much more in my range of skills.” 

 

“Well,” Elan began thoughtfully. “Let’s get to work, then.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon for Saimon: https://imgur.com/vvZpWKL The next few chapters promise intrigue, tension, and maybe a touch of angst and hopefully the right amount of deviousness.


	36. In which our heroine continues to bond with her new assistant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I keep saying this, but you guys are the best ;_; the feedback and comments are so sweet. It means the world that you guys have accepted Elan. I know it's hard to have a new character in a beloved universe so thanks for being nice to her, ha. I'm sure she appreciates it as well!

Elan had to admit that having someone to work with in the lab was a nice change. Being able to actually converse with another person made the hours go by quite a bit faster, and Saimon was easy to feel comfortable with, to her surprise. Most of the men she’d known on Denon had been uptight and taciturn, leaving little to nothing with which she could have a conversation. Saimon was curious; he was eager to learn about the base, about the work being done, even about her day-to-day. He seemed genuinely interested in the process of archiving the war efforts and how they’d managed to keep themselves afloat, even after devastating blows from the First Order.  _ I suppose every recruit wants to dive right into the effort _ , she thought.

 

“I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like,” Saimon confessed, thumbing through the datapad in his hand. “I mean, to be face-to-face with troopers like that.” He let out a whistle. “It must have been terrifying.” When he looked over to her, there was a soft, sympathetic look on his face she wasn't expecting. It was almost as if he was opening the floor for a therapy session rather than making an idle comment; she was taken slightly aback.

 

“Um, yes. It was. Honestly, I think I just kicked into autopilot. It’s not like I’ve had any real battlefield training.”

 

“Well, you have now,” he commented with a smile. “Probably more than you’d like to, but, hey, at least you have it.”

 

He lifted a holobook from the desk, his brows furrowed in curiosity. 

 

“Wait, there’s more than one Resistance base? Not just here on D’Qar?”

 

Elan leaned forward and looked over his shoulder to see the dull blue glow of the screen. 

 

“Oh, there’s several. A lot of the data is classified but I think there’s three in the Outer Rim alone.”

 

Saimon gave an impressed hum. “I didn’t realize something that major could be kept classified.”

 

“Well, rebelling against the Empire has been a decades long affair. I’m sure there’s a wealth of secrets hidden in these walls.”

 

The two worked in relative silence for the remaining hours of the day, broken by curious inquiries from Saimon from time to time, mostly asking about the recent histories and if there was any gossip from recent missions. He was catching on quick, already becoming a sponge for intel, and could rattle off details from memory as if he’d known them all his life. 

 

As the daylight hours faded into dusk, Elan’s stomach let out an audible growl. It occurred to her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast and the pit in her alerted her to her sudden and ravenous hunger.

 

Saimon looked up with a grin.

 

“What, they don’t feed you when you’re on the job?” he asked playfully.

 

“Sometimes they toss a few scraps my way after I’ve scrubbed the ‘freshers.”

 

“Want to grab something to eat? We could just bring it back here if you like.”

 

Elan leaned back in her chair, contemplating their options.

 

“You know, “ she began. “I think we could both use a change of scenery.”

  
  
  


The cantina was relatively quiet; no rambunctious pilots celebrating a victory, no comptrollers serenading each other on their decoding of a recent com. The silence was odd, almost eerie, but Saimon didn’t seem to notice or mind. Instead, he made a beeline for the caf dispenser, filling his cup almost to the brim, and loading up a plate with what pastries where left over from the day’s meals. Elan let out a chuckle.

 

“Be forewarned: this is nothing like what they’d serve at a diplomatic conference back home,” she advised as she filled her cup halfway with the dark liquid. 

 

“I remember on Coruscant once,” Saimon began in a muffled tone, his mouth filled with donut. “We, my dad and I, went to his diner. They had these  _ incredible  _ donuts with Ishi Tib-cracked coconut. The owner, Dex I think, had this droid with something like 2,000 donut recipes.” He gave a satisfied smile as if the memory alone was enough to sate his appetite. Elan’s mouth watered as she recalled some of her own favorite dishes of local fare. Sure, the food on the base wasn’t terrible per se, but nothing could beat the taste of dumpling soup or spice cake. 

 

They chose a table with a view of the hangar outside, several pilots still working on ship maintenance. Elan figured Poe was still running drills with several of the new recruits and she could only hope he wasn’t doing too many vessel crash maneuvers in the training simulator Black Squadron had previously recovered in a wrecked Imperial vessel. The thought of Poe teaching young and eager rookies that were unlike him at their age made her smile. Elan made a mental note to get Snap to sneak her into one of his sessions to spy on his instructional skills.

 

“Credit for your thoughts?” Saimon’s voice broke her concentration.

 

“Oh, erm, sorry,” Elan apologized. “I’m not used to having company, to be honest.”

 

“Well, we could make this a regular thing, if you wanted. I don’t know anyone around here and could certainly use the company. I mean, if you’re looking for a companion,” he stammered. Elan was unsure of how to take this proposition. Was he asking for regular friendly gatherings? Or something more akin to a… date? She was so absorbed in analyzing the question that her brain failed to remind her that a response was in order. Saimon clearly his throat nervously. 

 

“No pressure, of course” he said quickly. “I just mean, if you were, you know, lonely or anything. I mean, the base is a big place, I’m sure everyone is so wrapped up in their duties they forget that not everyone has the luxury of being on a squadron or anything.” 

 

His voice had nearly gone up an octave as his finger twitched around his glass anxiously. Elan tried her best at offering a reassuring smile before she spoke, not entirely sure it was a convincing one. 

 

“You’re right,” she began. “It can be easy to feel lonely around here.”

 

“I thought it might.” 

 

Although she was still unsure of the intention behind the offer, Elan grudgingly decided this was an good a time as any to disclose her relationship.

 

“That sounds lovely. Just so you’re aware, I’m, um, with…” What was the correct word to follow that with? Someone? Should she just say “Poe”?  _ Could  _ she just say “Poe”?

 

“Ah.” Saimon’s head dropped towards his chest as he rubbed the back of his neck with his fingers. “Got an affluent senator waiting for you back home?” 

 

“Certainly not,” she scoffed, the idea making her wrinkle her nose in disgust.Elan shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m with, um. Poe. Dameron.” His name came out as more of a question, her uncertainty feeling all-too obvious.

 

“Really?” Saimon gasped, his voice heavy with surprise. “Erm, sorry. I just mean... I didn’t think he’d be the type. Um, for dating. I mean..” He pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes clamped shut in a grimace of embarrassment. Elan let out a laugh. 

 

“I know what you mean. He’s got a reputation for being a lot of things. Only some of them are true.” She smiled coyly as she gulped down the remainder of her drink. 

 

“I didn’t know that kind of thing was allowed. I figured it would fall under fraternizing with a lesser rank. Not that you’re-”

 

Elan waved her hand. “Not at all. I think it’s the sort of thing that isn’t really encouraged so much as it is the kind of thing that just… happens, I guess? I guess the General considers it a morale booster in this case.”

 

Saimon blinked. “The General is  _ here _ ? I didn’t know she stayed so close to the front lines. It makes sense, but it still seems a little perilous.” He hesitated as if struggling to form the right words in his mind before risking their escape. Elan chuckled to herself, seeing him so apparently starstruck.

 

“So... when you went on that rescue mission, the one where you were captured, the one for commander Dameron, that wasn’t you going along  _ just  _ as an archivist, was it?”

 

Shaking her head, she let out a heavy exhale. “Snap knew if he could get Poe out of the encampment, he wouldn’t go without a fight..”

 

“Unless you were there” Saimon said, fitting the pieces together.

 

Elan nodded. “To be fair, I was just doing recon. Which I offered to do, rather foolishly, if I’m honest.”

 

Saimon furrowed his brow. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to question the people keeping us all alive out there, but doesn’t that seem like an unnecessary risk? They were throwing a civilian onto the battlefield as bait.”

 

“I wasn’t ‘bait,’” Elan retorted, more defensively than she intended. “The mission was for recon. Well, to start out with at least.” She let out a frustrated snort. “Look, I know how it sounds, but-” Saimon cut her off with a smile and rested his hand on hers.

 

“Elan, you don’t have to explain it to me. I’m new here; I’m still trying to figure everything out. I’m sorry if I made it sound like I was questioning anyone’s motives.” 

 

The tension in her shoulders lessened as she sat back in her seat. 

 

“I didn’t mean to get so defensive, Saimon. I’m sorry about that. I guess I’m still trying to convince myself I have a place around here.”

 

“I definitely understand that,” Saimon responded thoughtfully. “Ah!” Saimon grinned, standing and holding out his hand. Elan turned to see Poe entering the cantina, obviously still catching his breath and his flightsuit covered in engine grease. Poe took his hand with a smile, giving it an amiable shake.

 

“I’m Saimon,” he chirped, looking at Poe with an almost starstruck expression. “It’s great to meet you, sir.”

 

“Poe Dameron,” he replied with a pleased smile. “Rule number one: you definitely don’t have to call me ‘sir.’ I mean, unless you really want to.”  He glanced down at Elan with a grin. “She’s not running you ragged yet is she? She’s trouble, this one.” 

 

“If anything, I’m the one talking her ear off. You want to have a seat? We were just talking past adventures, I’m sure you’d have one or two tales to contribute.”

 

Poe glanced between the two, then back towards the hangar, letting out a groan. “I would, but I just dropped in to grab some food and get back in the air. I tell ya, these newcomers are making me look bad, two of them nearly beat me back to the Base. In an A-wing too;  _ that  _ I can’t stomach. The First Order won’t know what hit ‘em once they get on the field. When are we gonna see you up there, Sai?” Poe asked, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Saimon gave a stunned expression. 

 

“Um, I think that would be a disastrous idea…” he replied nervously.

 

“He’s just giving you a hard time, Saimon. Ignore him.” Elan shot Poe an irritated glance. There was a sudden whirring sound followed by several beeps and chirps as BB-8 rolled up beside Poe. 

 

“Already? Man. These guys are ruthless. Hey, good to meet you, Sai. E, I’ll see you later tonight?”

 

“You know where to find me,” she smiled, Before he turned to make his exit, he planted a kiss against her temple, following his droid towards the hangar. Elan was slightly shocked; this was the first time he’d shown any sort of public display of affection, although as she’d been told, their relationship was hardly a secret. Still, something in the gesture felt satisfying. Her eyes shot over to Saimon, who’d let out a soft chuckle.

 

_ “What?” _

 

“Oh, nothing,” Saimon smiled as he took a sip of his drink. “He just didn’t seem as… tough as I would’ve expected.” Elan could tell he was teasing her, playfully, and part of her wanted to continue her professional demeanor, but that idea failed miserably as Saimon cocked an eyebrow amusedly. 

 

“C’mon,” Elan said as she gathered her dishes. “Let’s get back to work.”

  
  


After a few more hours of introductions to basic interviewing skills and data storage, as well as pleasant conversation, Elan was satisfied enough with their progress to send Saimon back to his bunk with a request to be prepared for an early start. Once she was alone in the lab, Elan found an odd wave of nostalgia wash over her. They had spoken quite a bit about Denon and its culture, something Elan never expected to miss. She wasn’t quite sure what it was about the idea of her home planet that she suddenly felt an urgent yearning for, but the visceral effect was almost overwhelming. 

 

The door to the office slid open and in stepped Poe with a tired satisfaction on his face and a small plate filled with food. He’d changed into more civilian style attire and looked as though he’d just stepped out of the shower.

 

“Hey, you,” he smiled as he slid into the chair in front of her desk. “Where’d your new student get to?” he asked as he tossed her a meiloorun melon. 

 

“I gave him the rest of the night off.” She took a bite of the fruit and got an unexpected mouthful of its juice, making her clumsy rush to stop the liquid from dribbling down her chin. Poe’s laughter didn’t help to make the situation any less awkward.

 

“Very graceful, princess,” he teased as he handed her the cloth he’d brought along with him, ignoring Elan’s threatening glance. “How’s the training going?”

 

Elan nodded her response, attempting to mumble the word “good” without causing another disruption. After finally being able to swallow the mouthful of melon and cleared her throat.

“Good,” she managed to articulate. “He seems eager to jump into things here. Oh, you’ll never believe this: he’s from Denon.”

 

“Seriously? Huh.” Poe looked as surprised as she did when she’d heard it was well. “That’s crazy.”

 

“I know! I couldn’t believe it.”

 

“Of all the places he was stationed, he wound up here.” Poe chewed a bit of pastry, thoughtfully. His expression had shifted slightly from surprise to something almost akin to concern. Elan’s brows knit together. 

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.” Poe leaned back, crossing his legs as his foot bounced against the ground in agitation. 

 

“ _ What _ , Poe?” she insisted. Poe heaved a heavy sigh as he brushed the crumbs from his hand. 

 

“It’s just, usually the new recruits all come in together. The ones I was working with didn’t mention anyone from Denon coming on.”

 

Elan gave a nonchalant shrug and a questioning look.

 

“It’s just a weird coincidence he sent to you. I mean, I guess maybe Raissa or someone chose that deliberately. I dunno,it just seems... _ odd _ .”

 

“Well, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together. I’ll just have to ask him,” Elan responded, rather defensively.

 

Poe’s jaw noticeably clenched. “How much time?”

 

“I mean, we’ll be working together. Probably a lot.” Elan shoved the rest of the fruit in her mouth. After a moment, she smirked and gave a little giggle in realization. 

 

“What now?”

 

Elan’s grin widened. 

 

“You seem worried, Commander,” she teased.

 

“I am not.”

 

“That must mean you like me,” she crooned in a playful tone.

 

“Shut up,” Poe retorted, a hint of a smile toying at his lips.


End file.
